Puzzled Feelings
by Hergan
Summary: Yami gets a call from Ishizu and so Yugi has to find him in the Millenium Puzzle. What Yugi finds first surprises him. Prideshipping (so far one-sided). One-sided Puzzleshipping.
1. Discovery

"Hello?" Yugi answered the gray flip phone hesitantly, not recognizing the number.

"Hello Yugi, it is Ishizu. May I speak with Yami?"

Taken aback, Yugi simply nodded, "One moment."

Yugi called for Yami, but it seemed the spirit was somewhere deep in the recesses of the Millenium Puzzle.

"He seems distracted, it may be a moment," Yugi told Ishizu before retreating into the Puzzle to find his other half.

Leaving his comfortably messy soul room for Yami's, Yugi took a deep breath before stepping into the labyrinth. The spirit was not in the main entrance, so the younger boy called out to him, "Yami? Ishizu called us looking for you."

When more than a few moments passed by with no answer, Yugi determined to look for the distracted Pharaoh on his own. Choosing a random door, Yugi took a deep breath and walked into the stone passageway that awaited him. He continued calling Yami's name, but as he continued to receive no answer, he fell silent, walking through the twisting corridors and opening random doors.

Most rooms were empty, save the torches lighting barren stone walls. Sometimes the empty rooms were disorienting. Yugi wouldn't easily forget the door that led him to be walking on the ceiling of an empty room.

Yugi was getting frustrated. Where was Yami hiding? He came across yet another door and opened it dishearteningly, expecting yet another vacant room. He blinked when instead he found a warmly lit room with a wooden desk and chair. An oil lamp illuminated a quill and ink perched next to some scattered papers, and Yugi took a step forward into the room, hopeful that the objects indicated the Pharaoh's whereabouts.

"Yami?" Yugi hesitantly called as he stepped further into the room, trying not to be too disappointed when only silence answered. Taking a step closer to the desk to ascertain if it held any clues of Yami's whereabouts, Yugi was stunned at what he saw on the top page of the desk. A crudely drawn picture of Kaiba took up half the first page, proportions wrong but with the unmistakeable blue eyes and long, white trenchcoat. What was most striking about the sketch was the unmistakeable fact that the portrait was enclosed in a heart.

Yugi knew he shouldn't snoop, but curiosity got the better of him and he moved the sketch over to reveal the pages below.

_Oh! Blue Eyes White Dragon!  
__How fitting be thy name-  
__Lo! When he summons thee  
__Intense, piercing gaze  
__Fill my heart with joy-_

_Yet jealous reigns  
_"_Go _my_ Blue Eyes,  
__White Lightning Attack"  
__Aware posessives to you belonging-  
__Never to me._

_Statick fills emptiness,  
__Darkness, loneliness momentarily  
__Arousing guilt-  
__My life points reach zero,  
__Mine lips smile,  
__Staring into cobalt eyes._

Yugi was surprised at the content. _Had the Pharaoh lost a duel to Kaiba? And why was it all so... lovey?_ He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here," Yami asked his aibou, a flash of anger in his crimson eyes.

Yugi looked down uncomfortably. "Ishizu called you on the telephone, I've been wandering around looking for you."

Yami stared at him for a second knowing the less than pure reasons he had locked himself in the room he'd discovered with the large steam bath. He supposed it was fortunate that Yugi had only walked into this room.

"I … I didn't mean..." Yugi stumbled.

Yami's gaze softented a little. "I suppose the Puzzle has its reasons for showing you this," he coalesced. It didn't mean he had to like it, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Wait," Yami thought aloud, annoyance returning to his voice, "why are you wandering the labyrinth to find me at all? Why didn't you just call out for me as usual?"

"I did," Yugi explained, "You didn't hear me for some reason."

Yami took in the information and realized that he _had_ tried very hard to keep his aibou from knowing what was transpiring over the last several minutes.

"Is she still on the phone?" Yami's eyes widened with sudden understanding. _This wouldn't have happened if..._ he clamped down on the thought as Yugi said in a somewhat startled voice, "Oh shoot! Yes!"

Sighing, Yami showed his aibou out of the room and switched places as soon as they found their way out of the labyrinth.

**A/N: **Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at a pridefic, although it's not done yet. I started writing it as a oneshot, based on the idea there'd be a series of poems, but the prose to set it up was interesting me more. Plus it's really hard to figure out how a 5000 year old spirit would write love poetry. Probably waaaayyyy beyond my capabilities.


	2. Aftermath

"Hello?" Yami answered Ishizu finally.

"It took fifteen minutes to find you?" Ishizu asked, amused. Now that the pair was in possession of the Millennium Necklace, it was much harder to predict when the right time to call would be. She wondered absently what Yami was doing during the time, although she wasn't surprised it took Yugi so long to navigate the Puzzle.

Yami shifted uncomfortably but didn't say anything. He was annoyed at the situation, knowing that Ishizu was the only reason for the intrusion into his privacy. Yugi usually didn't need Yami to be present while working on homework, and the spirit had taken to using that time as "alone time." To spare Yugi from distraction, he usually cut the ties between them to a minimum, but he didn't realize until now how disconnected that was. But, he definitely didn't want his aibou to ...

"In any case," Ishizu interrupted his thought, "there is a tablet waiting in Egypt that I think that you need to see. It will unlock the secrets of your past."

Yami had known that he would need to use the three Egyptian Gods to unlock his memories already, and that the stone tablet had been moved from the museum in Domino. "Why are you calling to tell me this now?" Yami questioned, even more annoyed by the interruption.

"Because I believe that not only is this the key to unlocking your memories, but necessary for unlocking your true place in this world. We have found a third tablet which suggests that this step must be taken soon if all is to transpire as it should be."

"Thank you for the warning," Yami replied. "I will be in Egypt as soon as I have the money for a plane ticket. But that still doesn't answer why you had to call me now."

Despite Yami's annoyance at the woman on the other end of the phone, he knew that it wasn't really her fault that she called in the middle of his daydreams. So that's why he let it go when Ishizu answered, "Because you needed to know as soon as possible."

"Fine," Yami stated, still feeling disgruntled with the answer, but not willing to put up more of a fuss about it. "Is that all?"

"Yes, my Pharaoh."

"Well, see you in Egypt then," Yami replied, before shutting the flip phone with a sigh. He knew that his aibou had been listening to the whole thing, but he was unsure how much of his thoughts on the interruption had spilled over as well.

xxx

Yugi knew that Yami was annoyed at the intrusion into his space, and that he cared more than his words let on that Yugi knew about the room with the desk. He was uncertain of how to address the issue, but felt it needed to be done now that the phone call was through.

_Yami, _he began cautiously, waves of concern flowing through their connection, _I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I had no intention of..._

_I know, _Yami interrupted softly, without a trace of anger at his aibou.

It did little to ease Yugi's concerns, though. Why was Yami hiding things from him? Why was it so hard to get his attention earlier? And what was it he felt for Kaiba?

_May I ask about what I saw?_ Yugi could feel Yami's reluctance and almost wished he had just let it go. The connection between the two faded slightly and Yugi could tell the spirit was attempting to control some emotion, but couldn't place what it was.

The turmoil continued for a few moments before Yami seemed to gain more control, responding, _What is there to say? _

_What was that poem about? Why Kaiba? Did he win or something? And why couldn't I find you? _The questions spilled out of Yugi before he could stop them, instantly regretting the action.

Ignoring the last question, Yami figured his aibou deserved some answers. _At Duel Monsters? No, he has not won, _he started before losing his words. He paused for a moment, but could sense his aibou's worry at the long pause and wanted to reassure him. Figuring it would be easier to demonstrate than to explain, he hesitantly lowered the guards on his mind. Suddenly a rush of emotions and memories flooded over Yugi: the passion of staring into Kaiba's eyes during a duel, the electrifying feel of being engulfed in lightning when Blue Eyes attacked, a hint of arousal at the fierce posturing during the psychological battles of the game. While Yugi was aware of the memories in general, what surprised him most was the intensity, and the fantasies that seemed to accompany them.

_You love him, don't you? _Yugi supplied, somewhat startled at the revelation. _But you didn't know how to say it. _

Embarrassment replaced lust as Yami again minimized the connection to his aibou.

_Why didn't you tell me?_

_What would it change?_ Yami pointed out, correctly suspecting Yugi would not want his body to be used for such purposes. It was why he had to use the bath room in the Puzzle and daydream rather than say anything to Kaiba's face, not that he expected that conversation would turn out in his favor as long as he continued to share Yugi's body. Kaiba had a hard enough time accepting anything mystical as it was, and Yami wasn't entirely convinced that he recognized the "other Yugi" that came out whenever they dueled.

While bemoaning the way things had to be, Yami had let his guard down once again, and the conflicting emotions spilled over their shared connection. Sudden realization overcame Yugi as he recognized the answer to his final question. _You were thinking about him, weren't you? _The tone was strained and Yami had a hard time placing what his aibou was feeling. He hadn't realized that Yugi would be privy to the thoughts, and clamped down on the link again, but the damage had already been done. Eventually, Yugi's pain, jealousy, and worry filtered through the shared connection.

Even though Yugi knew it was stupid, the revelation hurt more than he thought. He had known the spirit was his own person, but it felt so strange to have been blocked out like that. What's more, the fact that Yami had shut him out to think about Kaiba that way... he knew logically that Yami probably didn't want Yugi to know as a means of protecting Yugi's own innocence, but it did little to ease the troubled feeling. What about the connection that they shared? They were always there for each other, why had the spirit not been able to tell Yugi this? And why did it hurt so badly? He had always known that Yami didn't always share his thoughts; it was how they beat Pegasus in Dualist Kingdom after all. But there was something more about this revelation that he couldn't quite place.

_Am I not good enough? Wait. Do I want to be with Yami that way?_ He wasn't even sure what that way was precisely, having been spared the details of the later parts of the fantasies when Yami had closed the connection. _Am I an inconvenience? _he finally thought. Yami was his best friend ever since he had put the puzzle together. He had been so happy and content with their shared experiences, he hadn't thought about how it affected Yami. _What if Yami regrets that _I _was the one who put together the puzzle? Is he just my friend because of that wish?_

Almost as though he had sensed his aibou's thoughts had taken a turn for the worse, Yami spoke again, _I am grateful for everything that we have, aibou. _It eased Yugi's thoughts for a while, and he ceased his worrying for a moment. Sighing, he realized he still wasn't done with his math, and that Joey would be coming over soon to head to the arcade.

_I know,_ he finally answered Yami, before regaining control of his body and pushing the thoughts out of his mind.


	3. Separation

A few months passed. Yugi had finally saved enough money helping his grandfather around the game shop to buy a ticket to Egypt, and Tea had somehow saved enough money at her waitressing job to get the rest of the gang there as well. Yami had made no further mention of the incident in the Puzzle, and Yugi was content to leave it that way. Things seemed to have returned to normal, save for a few nights of sleepless worry once Yami was already in the Puzzle, when his insecurities about Yami made even counting sheep impossible. He didn't want Yami to know about the worries, because he wanted Yami to be honest with him. He didn't want to pressure Yami into acting any specific way.

For his part, Yami was more careful about spending his time away from Yugi. Only at night when he was sure his aibou had fallen asleep did he allow himself to venture to those rooms and lock himself away in favor of his fantasies. Since his aibou seemed to be less upset than before, he supposed that the new arrangement was working, even if it left him with less time. Consequently, less time was spent writing poetry and drawing, and more was spent in the room with the baths, unwinding his pent up frustrations.

They still had something to focus on together though; Yami needed to find out his memories, and so they stood before the stone tablet, holding the Egyptian God cards and waiting for an answer. Yugi was not expecting Yami to be drawn into the tablet and to have left him alone. He definitely wasn't expecting to watch Bakura's spirit follow him. All he wanted was to help the Pharaoh's spirit in any way that he could. So when Shadi appeared and told the gang the truth about what was going on, he couldn't help but find a way to follow. He and Yami had always been a team, why should now be any different?

It was disconcerting to enter the world and still not having Yami in his head. Eventually he discovered things; Seto the high priest who was as protective of the Pharaoh as Kaiba was of Mokuba, the Pharaoh's palace, the shortcut man who did not stop eating, the Pharaoh's name: Atem. How evil the spirit of the ring actually was. That for whatever reason modern day Seto Kaiba had made it into that reality too, and eventually was fighting on the Pharaoh's side. Yami of course won in the end.

When they returned, Yugi couldn't be happier to have the Pharaoh back in his mind. He greated the spirit enthusiastically, the previous conflicts forgotten. _You have your memories back now! And a name... Atem. _Yugi chattered cheerfully._ But it's so nice to have you back._

Yugi continued chattering. While Yami was touched by the sentiment, he felt like he had changed beyond the person that Atem had been, preferring the new name given to him by Yugi. While Atem had been a great Pharaoh, doing what was best for his people and making tough decisions, Yami had essentially been able to live as a carefree teenager in this new world. Even if he had saved the world a few more times than most, it was still better than being the country's leader at such a young age. He had friendship, love, and games to keep him occupied, and he hadn't forgotten how touched he had been when Kaiba finally came around and admitted that the past had been real.

That's why when Ishizu told the group about the ceremony to free the Pharaoh's spirit that would allow him return to the afterlife and the world of the past, he struggled. Why did he have to go back to being Atem? Why did he have to leave this world, his friends, and lose whatever chance at Kaiba the new revelations would bring? He wanted to separate from Yugi, though, recognizing both that the boy needed it and that he did as well. He didn't want to be limited to his soul room any more. He wanted to stay here and make his own path in the world that he had now joined.

As if she was sensing his indecision, Ishizu interrupted the thoughts. "Before you make your decision, my Pharaoh, there is the final tablet I need to show you, the one I mentioned on the phone." The tomb keeper guided Yami further into the tomb, stopping in front of a large stone covered in hieroglyphics. She stayed silent as the former Pharaoh read the hieroglyphics to himself, not needing to translate, knowing that the message was a private one.

Yami read the stone, expecting more bad news but was pleasantly surprised when it had just what he was looking for. The choice at the end, the description of the ceremony. He could do it. He could stay in this world.

"I'm ready," he told Ishizu. "Take me to the place."

The group including Kaiba boarded a boat to be taken to the island where he would 'travel to the spirit world'. He knew he needed to duel Yugi, that it was essential for breaking off ties, but that he wouldn't have to depart after that. His body could stay if the proper words were said.

Yugi had gone quiet at the news. He still couldn't get over the fact that Yami would be going away. He had only just got him back from the memory world, and the emptiness had been almost more than he could bear there. What would he do without that familiar presence? _Yam—I mean Atem, _he addressed the spirit carefully, _Do you really need to go?_

Yugi could already tell their connection was weaker than it was before, it was like talking to a separate person and no emotions were spilling through like before. He didn't want it to get any weaker, didn't want to see the spirit go. _Was the past really so good for you?_

He was surprised at the flare of anger that reminded him the connection was still real. He was happy to have felt something, but anger had not been what he had expected.

_I need to do this, aibou, _Yami told Yugi, still refusing to think of himself as Atem. He could feel the sadness through the bond, the regret, the insecurity that had never really gone away. As much as he knew it would be good for Yugi to learn to live on his own, he couldn't help feeling bad for the boy with whom he had shared so much over the last few years. He couldn't tell his aibou he'd be staying in the end, but he could let him know how much the time had meant to him. Yugi was someone who he would never forget, a true friend, someone who he was grateful for. _I don't regret anything and neither should you, _he told Yugi. _You have been a great partner through everything and I will never forget your friendship. But I have to do this._

Yugi was surprised at how much the word friendship hurt. Again he questioned his feelings for the spirit and was met with an uncomfortable answer. The jealousy towards Kaiba, the insecurity about Yami's feelings were all stating to make sense. But he knew it was unrealistic. Not only would Atem be going away for good, but even if he stayed, Yugi would never be the object of the spirit's desires.

_I am going to miss you, _Yugi finally settled on saying, after clamping down on the errant emotions and hoping that the spirit didn't take them the wrong way. Why should his own selfish desires get in the way of the spirit's happiness? If he wanted to go back to the past, then he should. Besides, Ishizu was right, there was no reason for him to be in the present anymore. There was nothing left for him to do here. But it still hurt in a way that he never felt before.

Once he realized that the duel was necessary for Yami to pass on, he felt even worse. Not only would Yami leave, but he would leave by Yugi's own hand. It seemed poetic in a way. Still, he never wanted to lose a duel this badly in his life.

When Yami's presence was pulled away from him in order to gain his own form in order to duel, it felt awful. He felt empty in a way that he hadn't before, even when they had been separated in the world of the Pharaoh's memories. Taking a deep breath, he activated his duel disk and set in his deck. "Let's duel," they challenged in unison.

Yugi knew that he needed to play his best for Yami, that he deserved nothing less, but it didn't help make the duel any easier. Even though both duelists would have preferred a loss, they each inexplicably fought with their all. The duel went back and forth, Yami getting out all three Egyptian Gods before they were defeated by Yugi, then the Dark Magician, once again defeated, and then with a final move to negate Monster Reborn, Yugi won the duel. Crying soft tears, he ordered his Silent Magician's final attack.

"It's been an honor," Yami said losing the duel, before straightening up. "Thank you," he added sincerely.

A glowing eye appeared behind where the duel had taken place, outlining doors.

"It is time," Ishizu stated. "Tell the Eye of Udjat your name."

"I was Atem, son of King Aknamkanon, but now I wish to be Yami, cousin to Yugi. Let me stay in this world."

The doors light up with a bright light, but did not open. The glowing eye seemed to blink and then a phoenix erupted from it, oddly reminiscent of Ra. A female voice spoke, "Atem, son of Aknamkanon, do you refuse the afterlife in favor of this world?"

"Yes."

"Then you shall now be called Yami Moto, cousin to Yugi Moto. Your corporal form remains."

The phoenix disappeared and the lights on the eye turned out.

Yugi was shocked. He was so sure that he had lost the former Pharaoh, but somehow he had found a way to stay in this world, without being bound to the puzzle. He ran to Yami and gave him a big hug.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to stay?"

The former spirit looked down at Yugi fondly, happy that things seemed to be working out. "Because you need to learn to live without me, regardless of whether I still have a body on this earth. I will always be here for you aibou, when I can be, but now we are no longer linked as we once were. When you feel alone, remember the gift of kindness that you have given me, and the gift of courage that I have given you."

Tears flowed unabashedly from Yugi's face as he held onto Yami tightly. He realized he was right, their mental connection was gone, there was no longer a link between them as there used to be. He didn't want this, but he supposed it was better than nothing. Yami said nothing, holding his aibou's shoulders lightly in support as Yugi let the tears fall.


	4. Beginning

**A/N: Sorry this chapter has taken so long guys! It's been taking a bit to figure out where this story is going now that I've given Yami a body. While there is nothing explicit in this chapter, this story is now rated M for sexual themes. Also a quick, shameless plug before we get into the story proper: If you want more prideshipping from me, while trying to figure this out I made a quick one-shot called Nobody Love Blank Space. Go ahead and check it out! And without further ado:**

Yami woke up in his new room at the game shop. Yugi's grandfather had been quite willing to accept him as a new 'cousin' and had quickly cleaned out the den to serve as the boy's new bedroom. The walls were covered in wooden strips, giving the room a cabin-like feel. His bed was a pink pull-out couch that the family had hastily found at a second-hand store. An also quickly-acquired white dresser with chipped paint was filled with second-hand clothes from the same store. The large wooden desk was the only furniture that had stayed with the room's renovation. It was quickly becoming covered in rough sketches and love-sick poetry, just like the desk in the Millennium Puzzle had been. Despite being so roughly put together, the room felt comfortable to him. Yami loved the privacy it afforded him, just as he loved the fact that he could have it while maintaining a physical form. For the first time in centuries, Yami felt genuinely happy with his situation.

His eyes strayed to the pictures and poetry on the desk, and he began wondering what he would say, if anything, to Kaiba about his feelings. He had never thought he would have the opportunity to do so, since he never had a reason to expect to have his own body before now. It touched him that his existence had never been denied, and that Kaiba had finally started to recognize their shared past in the aftermath of their time in Egypt. He felt this was a good start, but he still had yet to have a reason to interact with the older duelist, so he was unsure what reactions Kaiba would have towards him in general, let alone to a confession of love. He still regretted spending so much time comforting Yugi after the ceremonial duel was over. While he knew it was necessary after the emotional toll the duel had placed on his aibou, he had wanted to get a few words in to Kaiba before the other left. However, Kaiba had turned away shortly after the duel and disappeared on his private jet before anything could be said.

A knock on the door interrupted his regrets. Yugi entered the room at Yami's responding invitation. "Yami, it's almost time for school!" the teen exclaimed. "Get downstairs for breakfast!"

Somehow, the Egyptian Gods had known to create paperwork for the new boy, which had appeared at the game shop the same day as the duel. It was a shame they hadn't created other items for living—more than the pair of clothes they provided him when he and Yugi were first separated would have been quite useful, Yami lamented. In any case, the paperwork would allow Yami to transfer to Domino high school without too much of a fuss, able to claim that he had been homeschooled until this time.

"Ok," Yami replied to Yugi, who left the room to let the former Pharaoh change.

Today would be Yami's first day of school, and he wasn't looking forward to it. While he would get to see most of Yugi's (and therefore his) friends, he was supposed to be one grade above him due to his age, and so he wouldn't see them most of the day. Yami hadn't really paid any attention to Yugi's classes when he was a spirit, and so he was quite nervous, knowing that many subjects had come a long ways since he had been taught how to rule in Egypt. He hoped that what he did know would be enough to piece together the Junior-level courses he was soon to take.

He would be looking forward to it more if Kaiba went to school more often. While he was definitely enrolled in the school, this seemed to be more publicity on the school's behalf, since the young CEO spent most of his time at Kaiba Corp, even when any other student was supposed to be in the classroom. While Kaiba _was_ still assigned the same homeroom as Yugi and the others, Yami would be surprised if he would ever see him there at all. Yami finished changing into the tight leather that had appeared with him upon receiving a form to duel Yugi with, he went downstairs apprehensively, dreading what the day might bring.

As it turned out, Yami had less to worry about than he thought and the day turned out to be rather uneventful. At the beginning of the day, Yami purchased a school uniform and turned in his paperwork in the office, before heading into homeroom. He felt some of his worry worry dissipate that he hadn't even realized was there as his existence was unquestionably accepted along with the papers. Once in homeroom, Yami quickly fell into Yugi's social circle, laughing and joking with the rest of the gang. Then they moved onto their own classes, and he tried his best to pay attention. They were difficult as he imagined they would be, but thankfully not incomprehensible. While math and science were by far the worst, he felt that with some extra studying catching up was indeed possible. The hardest part about the classes, Yami thought, was keeping his mind focused on them, instead of his fantasies.

After school, he headed into his room to try and focus on studying. He let Yugi know that he wanted to catch up some, before clearing a space on his desk and spreading out his math book to try and figure out how to do what it was the teacher had been talking about in class. It wasn't long before he was distracted. y2 + 4x3 = 64x – x2 … what was he supposed to do with this? One of the better pictures of Kaiba caught his eye. "Isolate y." How...

_Arms encircled him from behind. That familiar husky voice with the slight sneer – 'Having trouble?' _

Yami's breath caught in his throat and he blinked. It was gone. Sighing, he went back to the problem. How was he supposed to isolate y again?

_'I wouldn't ignore me if I were you.' _

Fantasy Kaiba sure was insistent. Yami closed his eyes, his hands drifting lower to satiate his growing frustration.

_Kaiba's hands drifted lower as well. 'Will this really help you with that problem?' he teased._

"Which problem?" Yami breathily asked aloud.

_'You know which one'_

A knock on the door interrupted him. "Did you say something Yami?" It was Yugi.

Sheepishly, Yami straightened himself out, carefully arranging himself to hide his erection under the desk before calling out to invite Yugi in. "I'm just having trouble with this math problem. It's supposed to be review but the Xs and Ys are confusing me."

"Let me help," Yugi offered, walking over to the desk.

Yami shifted his legs uncomfortably. But if Yugi noticed, he didn't say anything, instead focusing on explaining the problem. "So you need to get y on it's own, so you just have to move this over to the other side by subtracting it, then taking the square root of the whole thing." Yami blinked as Yugi pointed to the parts of the equation he was talking about. It still made little sense to him, but he did as Yugi said and circled the answer.

"Maybe math wasn't such a great thing to start out on?" Yami muttered, wishing Yugi would leave so that he could return to his previous activities.

"If you were only focused on the math, it might help some," Yugi pointed out. _So he had noticed, _Yami thought.

Yugi seemed conflicted, and Yami remembered the emotions that had rolled off his aibou when he had first found out about Kaiba. What was his aibou so conflicted about?

"You should talk to him," Yugi finally suggested, seeming somewhat saddened by the idea. "You need closure." There seemed to be some sort of unspoken words behind Yugi's statement that caught Yami off guard. What was the other not telling him?

Brushing it off, he simply responded, "Thanks."

The two fell into silence, and Yami shifted uncomfortably. Noticing his discomfort, Yugi quickly said, "Anyway, let me know if you need more help." He smiled awkwardly and then hurried out of the room.

Mood broken, Yami returned to his math homework. _Find the y-intercepts for the equation above. _Great, he thought. More things he didn't understand. He thought about what Yugi had told him and decided he was probably right. It was a good idea to talk to the real Kaiba and get it over with. Now, if only he had an idea of how to actually start a conversation with the older duelist...


	5. Challenge

**A/N: I'm splitting this chapter short because the other half keeps getting too long, and it's also being unwieldy and I want to give you all something to read in the meantime. Hopefully will have the next chapter by the end of the day, so the length of this one will matter less. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers and readers for your feedback and encouragement. You've been really helping to push me to finish these chapters within a reasonable amount of time. Thank you! Ok, enough from me-here's the story:**

As it turned out, talking to Kaiba wasn't nearly as difficult as Yami imagined it would be. The next day in school, the boy was sitting in homeroom.

The tall brunette pointed as Yami walked in the room, Yugi by his side. "You two. Duel me. My mansion, today after school." He went back to his book without waiting for an answer.

Yugi looked at Yami, who had nodded a bit too quickly in the younger boy's opinion. Luckily, it seemed his other half was at least keeping his body under control. Mentally sighing to himself, he instead replied, "We'll be there Kaiba." He instinctively took a seat, but was shortly lost in thought.

In truth Yugi was a little worried about the invitation. Why did Kaiba come to school to challenge the two of them to a duel? It was uncharacteristic of him to miss time with Kaiba Corp for something so "trivial." He couldn't be interested in the former spirit too? Maybe it was a bad idea that he had asked Yami to say something. He was really hoping that Kaiba would find Yami's ideas ridiculous, let him down, and leave the other free to get over the whole mess. If Kaiba was interested... Then again, Kaiba had challenged both of them, perhaps he was still just trying to reclaim his title? That seemed the more logical conclusion, but Yugi couldn't let his unfounded fears go. Even if Kaiba didn't have any thoughts currently, Yami was sure to say something now. What if Kaiba accepted? What if he viewed it as a challenge and refused to back down? What if...

"Yugi," the homeroom teacher's voice interrupted his thoughts. Snapping his eyes up he realized the whole class was looking at him.

"What?" he responded sheepishly.

"It's your turn next Friday to bring treats, remember?"

Yugi nodded. "I'll have something for everyone."

The teacher nodded, and thankfully turned his attention away from Yugi for the meantime. "There are no pressing announcements for the school today, but there will be a pep rally next week Friday. We'll be sitting as a class, so be sure to check into homeroom before the pep rally starts." Yugi could care less about the pep rally but forced himself to pay attention in order to avoid another embarrassing incident like earlier. It didn't take long for the bell to ring.

"Are you guys ok?" Tea asked as they left homeroom. "You're spacing out in class," she said looking pointedly at Yugi. "And you," she was glancing at Yami now, "were acting weird about Kaiba being in homeroom, almost like you didn't know what to do with yourself. It's not like you haven't been challenged to a duel by him before."

Yugi hadn't been paying enough attention to Yami to know the truth of that statement. Trust Tea to notice a difference though. He glanced at the former spirit now and noticed that Yami was blushing. _Yep, that proves it._

"They probably aren't very used to this whole 'two people' thing, right Yug?" Joey butted in. "I mean, they were always together when they dueled Kaiba before. I bet it's weird thinking about doing it apart."

Yugi was thankful for the explanation, but he should have known better than to assume it would stick.

"It's not dueling Kaiba that's the problem," Yami pridefully refuted. "That is familiar."

_Great, _Yugi thought.

"I guess I'm just nervous because I haven't had to interact with him outside a duel before is all," Yami continued.

_At least Yami has the good sense not to tell everyone about it. Wait, why do I care? _Yugi couldn't seem to admit to himself that hearing Yami say anything out loud would make the whole situation even more real.

"I didn't really think about that aspect of it before," Tea responded, "I guess Yugi has done most everything outside of duels." She fell silent for a moment. "I know! We need a new friendship symbol, that includes Yami. So he knows that we're all with him too!" Yugi thought this was a good idea. As much as he hated the current situation, he did always want to support the former spirit and thought this would be a great way to show it.

"I kind of like sharing my symbol with Yugi," Yami responded. "He and I shared so much, I don't want to give it all up just because we have different bodies now."

Yugi hadn't thought about it that way before, but was very happy at Yami's conclusion. It didn't sound like he was going to be replaced after all. But then he remembered that blush. He still would never be all he wanted to the former spirit. Not the way that things were continuing now.

Tea nodded, understandingly. "That makes sense. We're all right behind you in this, so don't forget that you aren't alone. You always will have our friendship to help get you through!"

The warning bell rang and interrupted the short conversation, and the friends scattered on to their next classes.


	6. Duel

**A/N: Here you are, finally got the other part finished up. Sorry it's so late, but, it is a bit longer this time. Hope it makes up for the wait. Let me know what you think!**

Yami was nervous as he and Yugi walked through the gates to the Kaiba residence. It had been a long time since they dueled here, and the first memories were not likely to be fond for Yugi. He knew that Kaiba had changed since the last time they were here, but he was uncertain about what his aibou's reaction would be to the choice of location. As much as Yugi professed friendship at Kaiba, Kaiba's distrust in the concept still rubbed Yugi the wrong way. Plus there were those weird emotions that had kept spilling across their connection before Yami had received his own body. Yami thought maybe it was because his aibou might not have realized the extent to which Kaiba had improved. It was like Yugi felt Kaiba was undeserving of Yami's attention, and it was the only explanation that Yami could think of as to why that would be. He didn't want anything to hurt the other boy while they were here, although he also realized that worrying was pointless. He had absolute faith that Yugi could now take care of himself.

Moreover, he knew this was the perfect chance to say something to Kaiba about his own feelings, and he was worried about the reaction. It was likely to be negative if it wasn't said in the right way, but he didn't feel like manipulating Kaiba to get the results he wanted. Yugi had said that saying something soon was important, but Yami felt like it was much to soon to be saying anything at all. Kaiba didn't know him at all yet; this was to be their first interaction since Yami got his own body, so how would saying something now be fair? He just wanted some way to keep seeing Kaiba on a regular basis. Talking about his feelings could come later, if at all. But Yugi seemed to think it was important to get this over with. Still, couldn't this all wait? But Yugi had been right about so many things before. It was hard to ignore his advice, and he didn't want to make the younger boy unhappy.

With Yami's thoughts looping in and out between Yugi's reactions and what he would say to Kaiba, he allowed himself to be lead to the same dueling arena where he had fist summoned Exodia. Kaiba was already there, dressed in his customary sleeveless white trench coat and black clothing, a knowing sneer on his face as he stood waiting on his part of the dueling arena.

"I will beat both of you in a duel today," he stated, pointing at Yami. "You first. You were the one who dueled me all those times, right?"

Yami nodded. It seemed with Kaiba's acceptance had come understanding about Yami's past role in Yugi's life.

"Since Yugi beat you, I need to beat you both. I trust you both still have your own decks?" The pair nodded again, but Kaiba continued talking without waiting for a response, "Then get up here, Yami."

Yami hurriedly took his place on the dueling platform, smiling inwardly at the sound of his own name on Kaiba's lips. The arena didn't quite look the same as the last time the pair had been in the room. The dueling platforms had been redesigned to look sleeker, were colored white and blue to thematically match the duel disk system, and now seemed to operate by plugging into the duel disks instead of by taking the user's deck directly. However, the large 4-way screen showing both opponent's life point totals, as well as the original deep blue grid to display holograms, remained.

"Let's make this duel more interesting," Yami surprised himself by challenging Kaiba. "Since Yugi holds the title now, let's fight for something else."

"And what do you propose?" Kaiba asked with a tilt of his head.

"Whoever wins gets a request of the other."

"And what would I possibly request of you?"

"That's your decision. Anything that you want to ask of me."

"Fine. Though don't blame me when you lose."

Yami nodded in acquiescence.

"Let's duel," they simultaneously chanted.

The two duelists drew their opening hands. "You go first," Kaiba said to Yami. "You'll need it."

The duel progressed as normal, Yami summoning his Celtic Guardian as an opener, promptly beaten by Kaiba's Battle Ox. The duel went back and forth for a bit, the two struggling to gain an edge over the other. Yami felt alive in a way that he knew only dueling Kaiba could make him feel. While dueling Yugi was a challenge, it was dueling Kaiba, with the intense posturing and psychological games that really made his blood pump. Kaiba's beat-down strategy seemed to be gaining the edge, and so Yami predictably summoned his God cards to contend with Kaiba's powerful creatures, although he now knew the risks of the move due to the ceremonial duel.

By now Kaiba had both his XYZ Dragon Cannon and his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field, and was staring the Gods down without fear, a taunting smirk on his face. "Now it is my turn to bring down the Egyptian Gods." Yami knew that if Kaiba had acquired a Magnet Force card as well, the XYZ Dragon Cannon would function just as well as Yugi's Magnet Warriors for the card. But, Yami also knew that Kaiba wouldn't use the exact same strategy as Yugi had. It was too boring, too predictable. And, rather than allowing the monsters to completely destroy each other, Kaiba likely couldn't resist letting his own monsters have some of the glory. So Yami set Mirror Force and waited.

Kaiba himself was eager to try out the new combo to defeat the Egyptian Gods. Despite the fact that Yugi was the one to discover the strategy, he felt like he could put his own twist on it to make it his. Gone were the days where he would run endless computer simulations trying to figure out how to keep the three cards from going infinite on him. He smiled to himself and set three cards face-down.

Yami drew his next card, his Dark Magician. _This will be useful once we figure out what happens with the Gods, _Yami thought, storing the card in his hand. Whatever Kaiba had planned would happen either way, and so Yami sent Ra at XYZ Dragon Cannon, waiting to find out if Kaiba had the combo. As Yami predicted, the other duelist used De-Fusion, separating the machine back into it's component parts. Slifer's effect activated, and Kaiba used Magnet Force in order to bounce the effect back to the other Gods instead. Obelisk was down to two thousand points, Slifer itself was still at three thousand where it started, and Ra was at twenty-five hundred. All were weak enough to be destroyed by Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Still, Kaiba now had three weaker monsters on the field, and Yami didn't want to take any chances with them. He wasn't sure if Kaiba could bring XYZ Dragon Cannon back this turn to take advantage of his trap card, but there was no reason to leave the other monsters alive if he didn't have to. For some reason, Kaiba had summoned the X Head Cannon in attack mode, even though the others were in defense. It seemed that Kaiba _wanted _him to attack that monster. But there wasn't anything else Yami could think of that would save the monster from the attack. Maybe a bluff? Yami felt confident the duel was still under his control. He looked into the other duelist's bright blue eyes defiantly.

Kaiba caught the look sneered, "You'll be doing what I want you to when this duel is done, so what are you waiting for? Do something."

Yami did, after quickly suppressing the tight feeling in his chest that Kaiba's words had brought on. Taking a steadying breath, he attacked the X Head Cannon with Obelisk the Tormentor, wanting to keep Slifer safe, just in case the final face down card could somehow affect a God. Kaiba's smile widened, thoroughly enjoying the mistake. "I activate my final card- shrink. This makes my monster lose 900 attack points, but because it is a machine, I can redirect the effect this turn. Obelisk looses 900 points. Now X Head Cannon- counter attack!" Obelisk roared before exploding into a pile of pixels when hit by the impending shot.

"One down, two to go," Kaiba taunted.

However, despite the other duelist's bravado, Kaiba now had no more spell or trap cards, leaving him open to Yami's attack with Slifer. Still, the other duelist seemed unfazed by the 2200 life points he had just lost. Ra finished off Z Metal Tank, and Yami passed the turn.

Kaiba smirked yet again after drawing his card, before commanding, "Go my ultimate beast, destroy Slifer, the Sky Dragon!"

"You've fallen right into my trap," Yami exclaimed, wondering why the other duelist continually failed to deal with the traps that he would lay. It wasn't as though Kaiba was unaccustomed to seeing the strategy; on multiple occasions he had predicted the move when they were dueling together. Perhaps most impressive was when Kaiba had correctly guessed that Yami controlled a face-down Mirror Force trap in order to merge it with his Critias in the duel against Dartz a little over a year ago. Yet when they were dueling against one another, Kaiba seemed to fail to predict Yami's tactics more often.

Musings aside, Yami revealed the Mirror Force card and destroyed the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Kaiba's look of anger was quickly replaced by one of determination. He glanced at his hand and rapidly chose a card from it.

"Fine. Then I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon." The beast roared back to life furiously, glaring just as hard as Kaiba at the other side of the field. "I set one card. Your move."

Yami was impressed the other duelist had the right card to deal with the setback. Kaiba must have also reevaluated his trust in his deck when he decided that Yami's existence was real. How else would he have recovered so easily? What else might have changed about the skeptic? Yami wanted to know more about Kaiba almost as much as he wanted Kaiba to better know him. _Too bad I will have to say something soon, _Yami thought. _But then again, Yugi could be wrong..._ Yami distracted himself from the circular thoughts by bringing himself back to the duel and the stakes. He wondered vaguely what Kaiba would ask of him to do if he were to lose, and decided that he wouldn't mind losing just to see what Kaiba would come up with. However, he much preferred his own plan, which required a win.

Drawing his next card, Yami looked at it to see if it could help him deal with the powerful monster on the other side of the field. _Kuriboh. Well at least I have a little bit of time to figure something else out. _He saved the card, allowing Slifer to move up to four thousand attack points. Still, it wouldn't be enough to overpower Kaiba's dragon. He needed something else, and he trusted in his deck to eventually give it to him. Leaving Ra in attack mode, he switched Slifer to defense mode and ended his turn. Hopefully Ra would be too tempting a target, and Kaiba would leave Slifer alone.

Looking at his next card, Kaiba remarked, "Now it's time for me to put you in your place," revealing Card of Demise. He drew five more cards, smiling as they entered his hand. "Blue Eyes, attack the Winged Dragon of Ra!" Yami was right, the other duelist couldn't resist additional damage to Yami's life points.

Discarding Kuriboh smugly, Yami tried to save his monster, but Kaiba's face light up as though he had been expecting just that move. "I activate my trap. All I have to do is discard one card, and I negate Kuriboh's effect." Yami watched as his life points dropped on the large TV screens in the center of the arena. He was down to five hundred life points and had lost Ra, the most powerful God card. Kaiba only had seventeen hundred points though, and so there was still a chance that he could pull off a win. Kaiba set a card, then passed the turn.

Yami drew his card and immediately played it: Card of Sanctity. Each player would draw until they had six cards in hand. This brought Slifer's attack up to six thousand. He was almost there. Switching Slifer to attack mode, he called out an attack, "Slifer, attack the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Now Kaiba had just two hundred life points left. The game seemed to have turned in Yami's favor.

As Kaiba considered his options, the young duelist somehow managed to look even more serious. Until now, Yami had mostly been focusing on the duel too much to notice the other duelist's appearance. However, now that there was a bit of a pause, he was able to better study the other's features. Yami thought it was likely that Kaiba's brow was furrowed, though it was hard to tell with the way Kaiba's bangs hid it from view. The bridge of his nose was wrinkled in concentration, and his nose twitched in time as the tall duelist ground his teeth. His hand clenched his cards tightly, forcefully drawing the next card as though it would save him.

Looking at it, he grinned. "The tables have turned once again. I set this card face down and then I play Luster Dragon in attack mode. I'll equip him with Dragon Treasure to raise him three hundred points, to 2200 attack. I set one more card, then I will play Exchange- you can take one of the cards from my hand, and I get something from yours. I'll even offer you my Pot of Greed card, to show you that it doesn't matter how powerful Slifer gets, I can still bring it down."

Yami was surprised by how bold Kaiba was being. Slifer was already huge, and from the looks of his hand there wasn't much that the other duelist could do about it. And it wasn't like Slifer was affected by traps. The other duelist couldn't possibly be planning to pump the Luster Dragon that much, could he? Yami could think of no trap that could do that.

Yami took the Pot of Greed, wondering about Kaiba's plan. Kaiba made his selection from Yami's hand, and passed the turn.

Yami drew his card, then activated the Pot of Greed to see what else he would get. He smiled at the hand. Kaiba had to be bluffing. There was nothing the duelist could do to stand up to this hand. The trap that Kaiba laid barely registered: Heavy Slump. Kaiba seemed to have this card specifically to counter Slifer's effect. Rather than attack the monster, he had instead decided to attack Yami's large hand size. _So that's why he gave me Pot of Greed. I fell right into that one._ Sadly, the spiky-haired duelist shuffled his hand back into his library and drew two cards, letting Slifer's attack points fall.

"I set a card, switch Slifer to defense mode, and end my turn," Yami declared, an annoyed frown crossing his face.

A grin passed over Kaiba's face as he drew his next card. "I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode! Luster Dragon, attack Slifer now! It seems it's time for me to win, Yami."

But Yami shook his head. As the holographic dragon reared back it's head to destroy the monster, he activated a trap: Spellbinding Circle. It wasn't enough to save Slifer though, as Vorse Raider quickly charged forward, slicing the red dragon in half. The gods were no more.

Kaiba was laughing, clearly enjoying his current position. "Take your turn, Yami. I am enjoying destroying you."

"It's not over yet Kaiba!" Yami shouted, dramatically drawing his last card, using all his will and trust to ensure it was a good one. Glancing at it, it was his turn to smirk. "Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back Obelisk the Tormentor!"

The blue God rose threateningly out of the ground. "The effect only lasts one turn, but that is all I need. Obelisk, attack Kaiba's dragon with Fist of Fate!" Kaiba's face quickly turned from victorious to stunned as the monster crushed through Luster Dragon to finish off his life points. He scowled at the other duelist.

"Fine," he grimaced aprehensively, "What do I have to do?"

"Tutor me in math."


	7. Evaluation

Yugi blinked. It definitely wasn't the request he had been expecting.

Evidently it was not the request that Kaiba had been expecting either. The older boy's brow furrowed as he looked at Yami as though appraising the situation. "What?" he finally settled on.

"Tutor me in algebra."

"I heard you the first time, but why?" Kaiba finally answered, frustration evident in his tone.

"I had no reason to expect to need anything beyond basic math before I had a body. Math sure has come a long way in the last 3000 years. Surely even you can figure out why it might be confusing."

"Why me?" Kaiba looked perplexed.

Yami seemed to consider his answer for a bit. Yugi's heart skipped a beat. _Here it comes... Why did I tell him to say something? What if Kaiba says yes? Then what will I do?_

"You've got to be good at it, you're highly intelligent and run a major corporation. I can find something else to ask you to do if you don't think you can." Yami's response worried Yugi even more. He wasn't sure he could take not knowing much longer, why was the former spirit putting it off? Besides, wasn't Yami's problem with math that he was too distracted... Yugi's thoughts trailed off. Something clicked: Yami was too distracted by _Kaiba _to properly learn his math.

Yugi barely caught Kaiba's quick response in his panic. "Of course I can. But I'm busy so we're working around my schedule." _Trust Kaiba to still make everything about his own convenience. Doesn't he know he lost? What does Yami even see in this guy? Why him? What's going to happen when Yami gets tutored? _Yugi's thoughts chased each other around in circles, intermittent between puzzling over Yami's choice, fuming at Kaiba's reaction, and intensely envying Yami's rival for the attention he was receiving. Soon it all boiled down to feeling hurt, inadequate, and desperate.

Noticing that the negotiations over time and place for the tutoring were essentially finished, Yugi decided it was time to interrupt the conversation. Maybe if he could beat Kaiba in this duel Yami would see him in a different light. Maybe he could capture the former Pharaoh's attention again. Maybe he could prove his strength too.

"If you guys are done figuring things out, I believe that we have a duel," Yugi finally elected to assert. He looked directly at Kaiba as seriously as he could.

The corners of Kaiba's mouth turned up. "That ready to lose, are we Yugi?" It seemed that losing to Yami had not managed to faze Kaiba at all. He was still his normal, cocky self.

"You're on," was Yugi's simple response.

Yami relinquished his spot at the dueling platform and gave Yugi a smile. He seemed uncertain about something, but shook his head and the look faded. Rather than dwell on it, Yugi took his place across from Kaiba.

"Let's duel," they chimed in unison.

"I'll go first," Yugi stuck out his chin defiantly, his eyebrows slanted in concentration. Drawing his hand, he started out with a monster in face down defense position, and then set one card.

"Hmph," was all the response that Yugi got out of Kaiba, who started out with his Vorse Raider in attack mode. Eyes narrowing for a minute, as if sizing up the situation, Kaiba ordered the attack, "You'll have to do more than just defend to beat me. Vorse Raider, wipe out his monster!"

"You've activated Marshmallon's special ability!" Yugi said gleefully, turning the card upright. "Not only is Marshmallon not destroyed by battle, but the first time you attack it, you take 1000 points of damage!" Kaiba scowled as his life points dropped accordingly. Yugi glanced over at Yami, who was now watching the duel from the sidelines, an unreadable expression on his face. Yugi wondered what the other duelist was thinking, hoping that his move had made an impact.

Kaiba interrupted Yugi's musings, "Fine, then I will set two cards. Go ahead, if you dare." The other duelist seemed to be unusually antagonistic to Yugi, and he wondered if it was perhaps a side effect of having lost the previous duel. Maybe Kaiba wasn't as nonplussed as Yugi thought.

"My move," Yugi drew his card and barely glanced at it before activating it. "I play Marshmallon Glasses. Now your Vorse Raider can only attack my Marshmallon. On top of that, I summon Yellow Gadget in defense mode. This lets me move one Green Gadget from my deck to my hand. Then I'll set one more card on the field and end my turn."

"Finally," Kaiba growled. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse to the field. And then I will use Stop Defense to change Marshmallon to attack mode. Kaiser Seahorse, attack! Vorse Raider, attack!"

Yugi winced as he watched his life points drop rapidly. He was already at half health. "My turn." Drawing his card, he activated Swords of Revealing Light to buy some time. Then he summoned his Green Gadget to the field in defense mode, adding Red Gadget from his deck to his hand. "I switch Marshmallon to defense position, and end my turn."

_I just need to bide my time until my monsters have a chance to power up, _Yugi thought to himself. _If I can just hold out until then, I should be able to take whatever Kaiba throws at me._

Kaiba smiled, seeming unfazed. Reaching for the top card of his deck, his smile widened. "First I activate Card of Demise. I draw five more cards, but I have to discard my hand in three turns. Though I highly doubt this duel will last that long."

As Kaiba's smile deepened into yet another smirk, Yugi wondered not for the first time how this this annoying, overly confident man had managed to attract Yami's attention. It made no sense. _I have to win this duel. Not that I care about my title, but maybe if I show Yami that I am worth my weight as a duelist, he will notice me again._

Oblivious to Yugi's self-crisis, Kaiba was already making his next move. "Next I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon, eliminating your Swords of Revealing light. This duel won't last much longer, Yugi"

Yugi glanced up in surprise. He still had Marshmallon on the field, so why was Kaiba so confident? His life points were still safe, regardless of whether Swords was gone.

"Next I'll sacrifice my Kaiser Seahorse to summon my all-powerful beast: Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The duelist's signature holographic dragon roared to life, proudly stretching its wings and showing off its sharp teeth.

"Vorse Raider, your turn, attack Marshmallon!" Yugi looked even more confused. "He can't be destroyed by battle Kaiba," he tried to explain, uncertainty evident in his voice. "My life points and my monsters are safe."

"I'm not so sure about that. Activate trap!" Kaiba discarded a card from his hand and canceled out Marshmallon's effect. _Uh-oh, _Yugi thought as two of his lines of defense were broken through.

"Next I'll use Call of the Haunted to bring back the card I just discarded, another Blue Eyes White Dragon!" A second Blue Eyes roared to life alongside the first. "Now my Blue Eyes, attack Yugi's gadgets!"

As the pair roared back their heads, throats filling with balls of blue-tinged light, Yugi spoke, cutting off the attack. "Not so fast! I have traps too. First I'll activate my Stronghold, the Moving Fortress. It's also a monster card, with 2000 attack. Then I activate Ambush Shield, sacrificing my Green Gadget in order to increase the Stronghold's attack by 1200, bringing him up to 3200, enough to defend against your Blue Eyes." One of the attacks fizzled out around the new monster, but the Yellow Gadget exploded into pieces.

Kaiba looked slightly irked, but he didn't falter in making his next move. "I guess that means I just have to get an even bigger dragon. Come forth my ultimate beast!" Slapping down a polymerization card and discarding a third Blue Eyes to the graveyard, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon emerged. Setting one last card, Kaiba passed the turn.

"Alright, my move." Yugi did the best he could to sound confident, but he wasn't sure what he would do. All he could do was trust in the heart of the cards and hope they showed him the way to victory, and to regaining Yam's regard. Drawing the top card of his deck, he smiled. "I summon my red gadget in defense mode! And I'll set one card and end my turn."

The card Yugi had drawn was perfect. In just one more turn he could destroy the Ultimate Dragon and win the duel. And he had just the trap to protect his monsters from Kaiba's oncoming assault.

"Weak move Yugi," Kaiba countered. "You've done nothing to protect you from my ultimate beast! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his Stronghold now!"

"Not so fast, you've triggered my trap. With Soul Shield, all I have to do is pay half of my life points, to end your battle phase and your turn."

Kaiba ground his teeth in annoyance. "All that does is buy you one more turn. I _will_ destroy you and take back my title."

Yugi smiled to himself._ I have the perfect monster to take down Kaiba's ultimate dragon. If it's a race to the most powerful monster he wants, he can have it. Two can play at this game. Watch this Yami, I'll show you what I'm made of. _Yugi snuck another look at Yami, who was watching the back and forth of the duel impassively. _I'll make you notice me._

"One turn is all I need to destroy your dragon," Yugi claimed, happy to note that Yami was now at least looking at him. "I sacrifice both my monsters to summon the mighty Buster Blader! He gains attack points for each dragon on your side of the field and in your graveyard. So he is stronger than even your ultimate dragon. Now Buster Blader—Dragon Sword Attack!" The large knight raced forward, slicing the huge dragon in half with his even larger sword. The hologram split in two before exploding into little pieces. Kaiba's life points dropped. Yugi smiled broadly. He had just defeated Kaiba's strongest monster. It would be hard for the other duelist to recover from this one.

Kaiba's fingers were twitching in annoyance, and he practically bent the card he drew in his anger. A scowl had deepened across his face, which would have been intimidating if Yugi didn't knew his board position was so strong that no intimidation was warranted. When Kaiba looked at the card in his hand, the scowl turned into a smile filled with malicious glee. "And your time has run out Yugi," the older duelist said. "Your title is mine." Yugi's heart stopped for a second.

Kaiba slapped down Monster Reborn, and the Ultimate Dragon roared back to life on his side of the field. "You left yourself defenseless, and now you will pay!"

_But my Buster Blader still has more attack than your dragon, _Yugi thought, hoping that Kaiba was making a mistake.

"All I need to do is equip my dragon with my spell card, Dragon Treasure, and it raises his attack points by 300," Kaiba continued. Though Yugi didn't need him to say it, he bragged anyway, "That's enough to destroy your Buster Blader. Neutron Blast Attack!" The three heads of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon reared back simultaneously, lightning catching in each of their throats before entwining in a powerful blast aimed at the knight. "And now, my Vorse Raider, finish him off!" The hologram charged at Yugi, finishing him off with a slice of his ax. Then the field faded away.

Yugi looked stunned. He lost? And so quickly nonetheless. What did he do wrong? He was so certain he had the duel in the palm of his hand after summoning Buster Blader.

Kaiba didn't look pleased with his win either. "Well I guess we know who the real king of games was," he murmured, pointedly looking at Yami. "It must have just been a fluke that Yugi won the ceremonial duel after all. And here I thought that this duel would be a challenge."

Yugi glanced at Yami and then down at the ground. The former spirit had a weird expression on his face, and Yugi wasn't sure what he was thinking. All he knew is that he felt utterly defeated. _Was my will not strong enough to show Yami how I feel about him? I was supposed to beat Kaiba and gain Yami's attention, and all I ended up doing was loosing one of the quickest duels of my life. He managed to beat me in four lousy turns. And I was so sure that I had won too._

Suddenly Yugi felt the intense need to be alone. "Well, you have your title now," he mumbled at Kaiba, quickly gathering his deck and then power-walking off the dueling platform and out of the room. Once outside of the mansion, Yugi broke into a run, trying to get as much distance between himself and everything in the duel room as quickly as possible.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I hope you let me know how you are liking the story so far and what, if anything, I can do to make it better. Also, though I don't normally feel the need to explain myself at the end of a chapter, but I feel like Kaiba's win deserves a bit of explanation. While Yugi does have the ability to beat Yami in a duel, and Yami certainly has the ability to beat Kaiba, I don't think this necessarily has to translate into Yugi winning against Kaiba. I have two main reasons:

First of all, part of his edge against Yami is that he knows Yami so well. He has watched the spirit duel and has listened to his thoughts and strategies over and over. Additionally, in this ficverse, he loves Yami, and so he's definitely been paying a lot of attention to what the spirit was thinking/feeling while they were sharing a body. However, Yugi doesn't know Kaiba like this. He does not understand Yami's feelings towards the other boy, and when they did share a body it was primarily Yami dealing with Kaiba, not Yugi. And as much as Yami might know about Kaiba, and as much as Yugi might have picked up on by reading his thoughts while they shared a body, I think that it would be harder for Yugi to remember and predict on his own.

Second, Yugi is not fighting this duel for the right reasons Yugi has taken this duel to be a fight over Yami's heart, and is being fueled by jealousy and the need to prove himself. Of course, Kaiba isn't fighting for the right reasons either. He is still looking to claim back his title, is still driven by his familiar anger and pride (which is smarting as a result of his loss to Yami, as much as his face doesn't show it). But, with neither being favored by the heart of the cards this way (Yugi cannot win Yami's heart by winning at a card game anymore than Kaiba can erase his past by winning back his title), I think it all comes down to skill without any additional help from 'destiny.' In which case I feel like Kaiba would win, especially because Yugi is so focused on gaining Yami's approval that he's not focusing his whole attention on the duel. It's not that Yugi is not a skilled duelist, or that he didn't deserve the title "King of Games" (despite what Kaiba may believe), or even that he could never beat Kaiba. This duel just wasn't his to win.


	8. Results

**A/N: Just a quick note to clarify something brought up by an anonymous reviewer: Yes, this story is based on the 4Kids dub version of characters, which is the only version of the anime that I've had access to so far. Anyway, as a result the characters may seem a bit … stunted compared to the Japanese sub or manga versions of the characters. Though, I'm hoping to show a bit of development in this chapter. Just throwing that out there. Onto the story!**

Yami glanced quickly at Kaiba and then back at the door that Yugi had just left through. He smiled apologetically, waved somewhat awkwardly, then hurried after Yugi. Kaiba was left standing on the dueling platform.

Kaiba just stood stunned for a bit. Not only had he not expected to win so thoroughly over Yugi, but he definitely had not expected that reaction either. He wondered what was going on with the younger boy that he would behave so childishly for losing a duel. Wasn't he the one who berated him for being sore loser? For being too angry or something? Or was that the other one, this Yami who still challenged him like no other?

_That must be it, there's no way that the person I dueled would behave like that. Yugi was hardly a challenge, barely worth the time it took to beat his sorry butt. I don't know why I expected better of the twerp. I guess it was true that it was all just a sham on his end after all._

Kaiba's thoughts turned to the other duelist, the one who still could beat him after all these duels, even after Kaiba managed to beat the God cards once. He had been so close to victory... but no. Kaiba wondered briefly what he would have asked for, having taken no time during the duel to consider it. _Probably more duels_, he thought, if the duels were as close as this one had been. There was nothing quite like dueling Yami, it almost didn't matter that there was nothing on the line.

Kaiba was slightly shaken by the realization that he didn't need to have anything to fight for to want to duel Yami. What was getting into him? He needed to be the best for his company, why duel if not for that? But he thought about the past few years and felt like if anyone was worth changing that, it was this Yami, the real King of Games. For once, Kaiba realized that he was having fun while dueling. Even in loss he had felt that power rush that he usually only managed to find in a win.

Busying himself by cleaning up his deck, Kaiba was starting to mentally fume at the idea of teaching math to the guy. _What had ever gave him the impression that I would be a good teacher? He better not be a slow learner, _he threatened mentally, knowing it did little good to help the situation. Though he also knew that he couldn't back down from a challenge. And he had been challenged to learn to teach, just this once. His eyes narrowed in displeasure at the thought.

Suddenly, he came across a strange card in his deck. _Why does my deck have a Dark Magician in it? Where is my Pot of Greed? _

Fuming, Kaiba belatedly realized that they had never given the cards back after Exchange had been played. He had taken Dark Magician out of spite, not because he wanted it. He couldn't resist taking it when he had seen the card in Yami's hand.

However, he wasn't about to be accused of stealing another card. His teeth gritted at the memory of the last time that had happened. _I legitimately beat the old man and won his card. So what if I coerced him to duel with the ante rule, he still agreed. _Still, the sooner he had his Pot of Greed back, the better. He stalked out the same door that Yami had left through minutes before, hoping to catch up to the other duelists.

* * *

Yami caught up to Yugi just inside the main gate to the mansion, his height working to his advantage. He grabbed the smaller duelist's shoulder, "Stop running Yugi, what's wrong?'

Yugi looked at Yami as though he was the absolute last person he wanted to see, and Yami felt like he had just been slapped in the face. Why would his aibou have this reaction to him? All he had done was lose a duel to Kaiba. It was understandable, Kaiba was a skilled duelist in his own right, and Yugi seemed to be letting his uncertainty get the better of him. _Why else would he have been looking at me so much, if not because he was unsure of what he was doing? He can't keep looking to me for guidance._

"Yugi, you need to calm down, since when do you care this much about losing a duel?"

"It wasn't just 'a duel,'" Yugi countered heatedly. "How can I compete with Kaiba if I can't even duel close to his level?" Yugi's eyes widened, as though he hadn't been meaning to mention that.

"You need to stop looking to me for guidance, and you could duel on his level," Yami returned, missing the cause of Yugi's concern,deciding instead to address what was said. "If you would just trust yourself and the heart of the cards, you could easily beat Kaiba. I told you when we separated you weren't ever alone as long as you remembered the gift of courage I gave you."

Yugi shook his head sadly. "I appreciate the sentiment, but that's not what this duel was about," he softly admitted. "It wasn't about the title, or having fun, or the heart of the cards. It was about you. That's why I was looking at you. Not because I was 'uncertain' about anything. I thought maybe, if I could beat Kaiba in a duel, maybe I'd have a chance too..." Yugi trailed off, looking miserable.

Yami's eyes widened at the disclosure, a surprised look on his face. "I had no idea..." How could he have missed this? How long had it been happening? The emotions boiling over the connection after Yugi found out about Kaiba suddenly made a lot of sense. He wondered how much keeping this secret had hurt Yugi. And as much as he didn't want to, he knew that he would have to hurt the other even more.

"Yugi, you're like family to me. Like a brother, that's why I wanted to be your cousin when I came back. I always want you in my life. But I don't feel that way about you. I can't."

"I know. You love Kaiba," Yugi looked down sadly.

* * *

Kaiba easily spotted the two duelists standing and talking by his front gate. _At least they didn't get too far, _he thought, noticing Yugi's tear stained-face and scowling. It looked like Yami was comforting the other, and he thought it looked pitiful. _And he gets on __**my **__case._

Kaiba began sauntering up to the pair, unnoticed because they seemed too concentrated on whatever it was they were talking about to care. He soon was within earshot.

Yami was speaking, "..I always want you in my life. But I don't feel that way about you. I can't."

So, the runt had a crush on his look-alike. How pathetic. He continued walking, having almost reached the pair.

'I know," Yugi was responding now. "You love Kaiba." After a pause, Yugi continued, "I thought.. I thought maybe you would notice me if I could win. But I don't think that will happen. How can I compete with that?"

Suddenly Kaiba felt like he was intruding. He stopped walking, and cleared his throat uncomfortably. The pair snapped their heads towards him angrily, matching looks of horror on their faces.

It was Yami who recovered first, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Kaiba responded, desperately trying to think about what to do to get out of the situation. _Love? Why? Why me? At least the tutoring thing makes more sense. I'm still going to have to do that, aren't I?_

"You, uh, here," he held the Dark Magician out towards Yami. "You have my Pot of Greed still."

Yami wordlessly took the proffered card and began searching his deck for the Pot of Greed, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Kaiba realized he should say something, but wasn't sure what. He'd honestly never considered such a thing before, and in the midst of him thinking about it he heard himself complain, "What ever made you think I was gay?"

A hurt look crossed Yami's face. "I don't..."

"Whatever."

Yami fell silent. Having found the Pot of Greed, he held it out for Kaiba to take back. Keeping Yami at an arm's reach, Kaiba grabbed the card and called back to him as he was walking away, "I guess I'll see you next week during our tutoring session."

Yami winced at the reminder he would have to see Kaiba again, but the other boy didn't see it. Instead, he just walked back towards his mansion, trench coat billowing behind him, arms crossed and his usual foul look on his face.


	9. Reflections

The walk home was quiet. Yugi was softly crying, keeping his distance from the reason for his heartbreak. Yami on the other hand was scowling, but his eyes were distant and unseeing. When they reached the game shop, the two boys went silently to their rooms, closing the doors behind them.

Dinner was not much better. The two avoided looking at each other while their grandpa looked on in confusion. Yugi was picking at his food and Yami was sullenly staring at his between bites.

Finally, enough was enough, and Solomon broke in, "What happened?"

Yami looked up and grimaced, "Ask him." He stood up to take care of his plate.

Yugi gave Yami a pleading look that was lost on the other boy's turned back. His mouth opened and then closed a few times as though he was lost for words. Tears started rolling down his cheeks.

Solomon realized that whatever was happening, the two boys were too raw about it to talk. He reached over and patted Yugi's hand affectionately. "Whatever the two of you are fighting about, I'm sure it will be ok."

"We're not fighting," Yugi immediately responded. "I just goofed up. I wasn't supposed to say anything."

Solomon rethought his previous assessment and gently encouraged him. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone."

"Maybe Yami is right," Yugi thought aloud. Faced with telling his grandfather about his crush, he started wondering if the older man would see things his way or not. After a short pause he added in a louder voice, "I don't think you would understand."

Solomon rolled with the non-sequitur. "You'd be surprised what this old man understands," Solomon countered. "It may have been long ago, but I was once a teenager too, you know."

Yugi was bursting with the need to talk. Again without really thinking, his thoughts poured out in a jumbled mess, "He's not actually my cousin, you get that right? Like, he was different before, so I can't help it. But he doesn't see it that way. I'm not his younger brother, why can't he see that? Why does he have to love that asshole instead?"

Something dropped loudly in the kitchen.

"That's not the only thing that's wrong. Why don't you tell him what you _did,_" a loud, angry Yami called from the kitchen.

"Neither of us knew he was there!" Yugi yelled, raising the pitch of his voice higher in panic.

"That doesn't matter, I should have been able to tell him myself. But no 'But you love Kaiba.' Of course I love Kaiba, you _knew _that already. And weren't you there in Noa's world too? What gives you the right to call him an asshole? You _know _why. You asked him to be your _friend._" Yami practically spat the words out. He was standing in the threshold between the two rooms now. "How can you not see how far he's come since we first met him? How can you not see how hard he has worked to trust us? To trust me? I would have settled to be his friend—I wanted to. But you had to butt your head in where it didn't belong. I knew I shouldn't say anything and you wanted me to anyway. And look where it's got me. He's just going to close up again, and it's your fault."

Yugi had never seen Yami this angry before. He was convinced if they had access to the puzzle the teen would be shrouded in darkness by now. "Please don't take your anger at his reaction out on me. I didn't know. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry that he found out that way. But it doesn't change anything. You heard him. He's not gay."

Solomon's head bobbed back and forth between the two boys, forgotten.

Yami opened his mouth once, still looking angry, but then bowed his head. "You're right, I am taking my anger out on you. I'm sorry aibou." His voice still contained anger and frustration, but there was an apologetic note as well.

Yugi's gaze softened. "It's ok, and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have called him an ass right then. It's just that he still treats you like dirt and I don't get it."

Yami's head snapped up again and his eyes flared at the comment. After a bit of a struggle the look was suppressed. "I need time to be alone." He stalked off to his room without further comment.

Yugi silently stood up and cleared up his nearly forgotten food. "I never should have said anything," he mumbled under his breath as he left for his room.

"Well, I guess I'm doing dishes tonight," Solomon muttered to himself, excusing himself and going to clean up.

* * *

Yugi tossed and turned, trying to get some sleep. The day's events were wearing on him, the rejection by Yami, Kaiba finding everything out, then fighting at dinner over what had happened. _Why did I have to open my big mouth? _

It was late, he'd been stuck in this same loop for a couple of hours now, and he realized that he was thirsty. _Well, it's not like I'm getting any sleep anyway._ Quietly exiting the room, Yugi snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen. The dark shadow of a spiky haired figure was already there, seeming to do the same thing.

"Can't sleep either?" Yugi greeted.

"No," Yami answered. His voice sounded somewhat raw. After a pause he continued talking, "I'm sorry aibou. I've not been fair to you. I've been mad at you when really I'm just frustrated at the way this afternoon went. I didn't even think about whether he was into men..." he trailed off.

"It's ok," Yugi comforted. "I didn't think you thought of me as family so much."

The pair fell silent for a minute before Yugi started grabbing himself the water that he had initially been looking for. After a few sips he started talking again.

"I think I get it. Why you like him I mean." Yami looked over in surprise. "He may have a ton of shortcomings, but somehow manages to make it all work in the end. He'll never go down without a fight, and he'll do everything in his power to protect what he cares about. And you enjoy how much he makes you think during your duels. I saw that much when we shared thoughts."

Yami smiled dreamily. "Mhmm," he responded.

"I want you to be happy," Yugi decided aloud.

"Thank you aibou."

An uncomfortable silence followed and Yugi turned to head back upstairs.

"Wait," Yami called, grabbing the other boy's wrist. "I want you to be happy too. I mean, not with me, but in general. I hope you find someone better suited for you."

Yami continued to stumble over his words until Yugi turned and gave him a smile, then hugged him. "I know Yami."

Yami let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and hugged the younger boy back. The two shared a moment of grief before heading back upstairs.

Yugi found it a lot easier to sleep after that.

* * *

Kaiba was trying to work from home in his study, but his thoughts kept getting interrupted by the scene from that morning. "I know. You love Kaiba." Yugi's words kept rotating through his head unbidden. It didn't make sense. He could not understand what the other saw in him. All he had ever been to Yugi and his friends was difficult. He had partnered up with them only insofar as Mokuba or his company were also in danger. He hardly knew the guy. How could "love" be on his mind?

He supposed he could clear things up during the study session, but decided if he was going to bring the subject up he needed to have a proper answer then. He could just leave it at not being gay, but that didn't seem quite truthful. Though he had never been in a relationship of any kind before he could still see the appeal of the human body—of both sexes. His response was more surprise than anything, and he knew it. If he brought up whether Yami really loved him during the study session, he better know where he stood on the matter.

The fact that the words would not leave his head worried him. He had been told something similar numerous times and had never been bothered by it like this. Perhaps it was because Yami actually knew him? It couldn't be passed off as just some star crush or an attempt at money, especially the way Yugi said it. If the two really had been sharing a body, Yugi would know right? And neither of them expected him to hear their conversation, so there was no reason for them to hide the truth.

Kaiba scoffed at himself. _Riddiculous. Like they really shared a body! _But as much as he tried to tell it to himself, he couldn't ignore what he saw in the old Egyptian tomb. Yami had come out of Yugi's body alright. Their explanation of events was as good as any.

He gritted his teeth. None of this was getting him any closer to solving the problem with the latest version of his holographic system. He turned back to the code but still could not focus on the work. 'You love Kaiba.' Yugi's words echoed through his mind once more.

He growled aloud in frustration. Why did things have to be so complicated? Maybe he was looking at it from the wrong angle. If Yami convincingly said it was true, what would he like to do about it? He thought about Yami's traits. He was reasonably attractive, if you looked past his ridiculous hair, and he was a good duelist. But beyond that he didn't feel like he knew where Yami started and stopped. How much were his actions his own and not Yugi's? _Whose decision was it to come after me in the virtual world when the Big Five trapped me in it? Or to take over the duel with Noah when he turned me and Mokuba into stone? Which one of them is the one that drives what they do? _It all came down to who was who and Kaiba didn't feel qualified to answer it.

His clenched fist slammed down hard next to his mouse. He didn't have time to be worrying about this. He had a company to run and a problem to solve. It was a yes or no question: give him a shot or not. It shouldn't be that hard.

"Big brother?" A voice came from the doorway to the room. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, Mokuba."

Mokuba didn't look convinced. "Why is your fist clenched like that then? Talk to me big brother. Did something happen earlier today?"

Kaiba gritted his teeth once again. "Yami and Yugi were over today to duel. I wanted to beat them to reclaim my title."

"And you lost?" Mokuba questioned. "I thought that you were used to that by now?"

"Actually, I beat Yugi. Couldn't figure out how to get around Yami's deck though," Kaiba's tone had lightened some talking about the duel. It was familiar territory and Mokuba was right, losing to Yami was not nearly as bad as it had once been.

"Then why are you angry?" Mokuba pressed.

"I'm frustrated, I'm not angry," Kaiba explained. But he knew he couldn't keep anything away from his brother for long. "I overheard them talking after they left the duel area. Yugi was confessing to Yami but Yami likes _me._"

"That sounds good! Why are you frustrated?"

"I don't even know him! How can he get away with 'loving' me? All I want to do is fix this problem coding the improved holographic simulator and it won't get out of my head."

Mokuba considered the input for a moment before ordering, "Try it."

"What?" Kaiba responded immediately, confused.

"See where Yami gets you."

"Why?"

Mokuba paused for a second before responding, "Because. You'll regret it later if you don't."

Kaiba thought that Mokuba might not have given him all the reasons he thought it was a good idea, but he trusted his little brother. He acquiesced, "Fine. But he's only getting one chance to prove thst it's worth it to me."

Mokuba nodded happily and stepped out the door. Kaiba turned back to his work and finding it easier to concentrate with the decision out of the way.


	10. Revelation

"What's up?" Tea asked after homeroom, cornering both Yami and Yugi after the rest of the gang had headed out to class. "You two are acting strange again, did something happen?"

It was the day following the duel, and even though they had come to an understanding, things were still awkward between the two of them. Yami glanced at Yugi looking for guidance, but the other boy seemed to have the same idea and was glancing in his direction. The older boy was unsure how much information that Yugi would be comfortable with Tea knowing, and he wasn't sure that he was ready to share much himself.

After a moment of silence, while Yami pondered what to say, Yugi quietly responded, "Yes." Yami quickly nodded in affirmation. He hoped that would be enough, but Tea waited expectantly for clarification. Yami coughed awkwardly.

"We dueled Kaiba last night," he started from the beginning, still uncertain as to what he was going to say. Simultaneously Yugi began, "I said some things I probably shouldn't have."

They looked at each other. Yami spoke up first. "You did nothing wrong aibou. I mean, that's just how you feel about things. And it's not your fault he overheard you."

Yugi looked relieved, and Yami realized that he hadn't specifically said anything about it when apologizing last night. He didn't realize that his initial reaction over dinner had so much impact on the other boy. Perhaps talking about this with Tea would help things after all.

"What'd Kaiba do to you?" she asked the pair. "Whatever it was, I'll…" she raised her voice.

Yami heatedly refuted her question, interrupting her, "He didn't _do _anything. This doesn't have anything to do with him." That might have not been the complete truth, but he wanted to protect Kaiba from this conversation. Kaiba had done nothing wrong.

Unfortunately Yugi betrayed the statement with a sheepish smile. "It kind of is."

Tea's eyes darted between the two boys, confusion evident on her face. "If he didn't do anything, how is it about him?"

Yami closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't want to get into this right now. Would Tea even understand? His frustration must have been evident on his face, because Yugi jumped in, "It's fine to tell Tea, Yami. She'll get it."

"Alright," he acquiesced, though he still felt uncertain. He paused for a moment, collecting himself. "I have an unrequited crush on Kaiba." The words tumbled out, bitter on Yami's lips. "And Kaiba overheard us talking about it."

"I'm assuming he said no," Tea responded, making eye contact with Yami. Her eyes were opened wide, but a slight glimmer revealed complete understanding.

"I think he was offended," Yami offered. "He said he wasn't gay."

"I'm sorry," Tea comforted. She leaned over and hugged Yami's shoulders. "I know how it goes. I hope you feel better soon."

Yami nodded distantly, his eyes falling to the floor. Yugi shifted uncomfortably. Noticing the action out of the corner of his eyes, Yami quietly added, "That's not quite all." He looked pointedly at Yugi, who smiled self-consciously.

Tea leaned away from Yami and focused her attention on Yugi. "What is it?"

Yugi looked at the floor. "It's nothing really."

Tea smiled at him, "You can tell me anything Yugi. It's ok."

The boy rubbed the toe of his shoe across the floor. "Well I kind of like Yami." His voice was quiet and his face flushed. "That's why we were talking when Kaiba overheard us."

Understanding flashed across Tea's face and she leaned down to give Yugi a hug as well, this one tighter than the one she gave Yami. "Oh, Yugi."

Yugi began softly crying on her shoulder and gripped the back of her shirt. The pair stayed this way for several minutes as Yami stood shifting his weight from foot to foot. When the two friends still had yet to move, he silently turned and headed towards his next class. Yugi was right about one thing; _he _could tell Tea anything. Her differing reactions stung, though Yami suspected he knew the reason. While he had detected sympathy towards him, it seemed that she had genuine empathy towards Yugi. There was nothing he could do about that, he thought; he wasn't interested in either of them. For once Yami was glad that he was a grade higher than the rest of Yugi's friends. He quietly slipped into his literature class and opened his notebook dejectedly.

Yugi and Tea separated to notice that Yami was gone. Yugi wiped his eyes and looked around but there was no sign of him in the hallway. Noticing Yugi's slightly panicked look, Tea soothed, "He probably went to class. We have been like this for a long time." She rubbed his back in a circular motion. "The warning bell is about to ring. If you want to stop by the bathroom before next class I can cover for you."

Yugi nodded silently and headed off in the direction of the bathrooms, while Tea headed towards their mutual class.

* * *

Yami did not sit with the group for lunch, instead opting to sit on his own. He was feeling disconnected from the friend group that had been a major part of his decision to stay in the modern world. Tea's reaction stung, even though he knew that it would be good for Yugi and that he didn't need the same kind of sympathy. No matter how much he could reason the reaction out, nothing would reduce the emotional bite he was experiencing.

Sighing, Yami pulled out his notebook and tried to look over his algebra as a distraction, but soon found himself doodling in the margins instead. At first the doodle was just an abstract design of swirls and repetitive shapes as he let his mind wander. For the first time he wondered if it was worth it to come back, if he should have talked more with everyone else about the decision to make sure he was even welcome. He realized he had made a lot of assumptions in his decision based on the way Yugi was reacting to the prospect of him leaving, but now he wondered if it was smart to assume those things. There would be more finality in the kind of loss that leaving would have left, and he wondered if it would have been healthier for the other boy if he never had stayed.

Slowly his thoughts turned towards Kaiba and his words upon overhearing Yugi. He would see the other boy during their study session, but was it really worth it? He probably wouldn't hear from the other again after that, unless it was to duel, and even then things would be awkward. Yami vaguely wondered if this was some sort of punishment from the Gods for forsaking his destiny. Shaking his head he looked at what he had been drawing and realized that somehow below his initial soft curves and patterns was a crudely drawn desk, someone vaguely resembling Kaiba sitting on it, pointing to something while sporting an angry look. Behind the desk sat someone with wild hair, presumably Yami. The image looked so much better than how he imagined the study session would go.

_In two more days it will be over_, he thought. _The study session will happen, and you can get over him properly. Just hold out a little longer._

The bell rang, and he slowly picked his things up and headed out of the cafeteria.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, I'm a bit stuck in writer's block and it's been fighting me the whole way. Also, I promise, next chapter will finally be the study session. So just hold out a little longer!


	11. Patches

**A/N: I meant to say something when I posed the last chapter, but I wrote an alternative reality (very OOC) for what happens after chapter 8 in this story. It's published under "Alternate Results and is rated T on FFN. If you want an MA version of the story I posted it on tumblr (search alternate results fanfiction and it's the only result) and on my LJ: hergan416.**

Yami found it difficult to return to his group of friends after his encounter with Tea the other day, but still rejoined the group in homeroom the next day. He said little unless directly spoken to, and kept his distance from the others, preferring to stay on the outskirts of the conversations. While Yugi seemed troubled by Yami's reaction, he didn't do anything about it, instead settling into his old routine as best as he could, while sneaking furtive glances as Yami whenever the others weren't looking.

Joey and Tristan mostly seemed confused, but left Yami alone. The pair did continue to send him worried glances, for which he was grateful. Given that Tea was usually the one to confront the friends about their problems, it seemed natural that they didn't want to do anything. He wondered what Tea had told them when they inevitably asked her what was up. Or perhaps they knew that she had cornered the pair and that things had gone south after that. Whatever it was, Yami didn't mind. He didn't have energy to deal with a fight between Tea and the rest of his friends if that was how it turned out.

Yami's strongest reaction to the group was when Joey had made an unflattering comment about "rich boy," but even then all he did was growl lowly and grit his teeth. While Tristan and Joey continued to look confused at Yami's reactions, Yugi and Tea gave him knowing glances. If Yami's experience had been any different yesterday, he might have even thought the looks were sympathetic.

As far as he knew, it wasn't as if they were in the habit of saying anything bad about him to Yugi.

After another day of the awkward social dance, Yami cornered Tea. He wanted to know why she reacted the way that she did to Yugi and to him. As hurt as he was, he didn't want to continue worrying his other friends.

"Look," he started. "I don't know why you acted so differently towards Yugi when he told you what he did, but it hurt me."

Tea looked embarrassed. "I figured from your reaction. I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention."

Yami gritted his teeth. "Then why?"

Tea scuffed the floor with her shoe. "It was instinctual… I just, it's Yugi you know?"

Yami stared at her blankly.

"And I get where he's coming from." She looked down. "I used to like you too. Had to drop it when you came out."

"'Used to' must be right. If you still did you sure have a funny way of showing it."

Tea looked down again. "I'm really sorry."

Yami had to admit that hearing her admit she had made a mistake helped things a little bit. But they were far from 'fixed.' Still he shrugged. She was his friend, and she had been supportive, if a bit out of line. Things might still be rocky for a little bit, but he was willing to work it out.

* * *

It was two days before the day of the study session finally arrived. Things had mostly blown over with Tea, and Yami felt a lot better with his friends, though Joey and Tristan were still unaware of his crush and the reason for the brief falling out.

Still, Yami was nervous as he walked towards Kaiba's mansion, where Kaiba had dictated the meeting would take place.

"Just act as normal as you can," Tea had offered in advice before he left, having sensed his apprehension. "It'll only be awkward if one or both of you make it that way."

Yami took that to mean that he would ignore the topic of his feelings and focus on the subject at hand. But Kaiba's rejection hadn't stopped his heart from beating faster as he thought about spending time with Kaiba. He wondered how difficult his feelings would be to ignore.

By the time he reached the door, his heart was racing and his stomach was clenched. He couldn't remember feeling this way before, and briefly wondered if he was feeling sick. Even if he was, he could back out of this now. Doing so would only make him look weak, and he couldn't let Kaiba one-up him like that Brushing his bodily reactions from his mind, he straightened his shoulders and purposefully walked to the door, exuding an air of confidence.

Inside the mansion, Kaiba was feeling similarly. Although he had talked to Mokuba and decided on a plan of action earlier, he felt a little foolish to plan to both take back his initial reaction and to ask a question of this nature. It was an unfamiliar process and he was a bit uncertain about how to proceed, but mostly he didn't want to lose face in front of his rival. At least he knew what the other would say already. That in and of itself was a trump card. He would be the one calling the shots this time, not Yami.

Upon entering, Yami was lead by a silent butler past a well-furnished room, it's old-fashioned opulence seeming out of place for Kaiba. It was close enough to the front door that he wondered if this was merely a front for business purposes, or if there was some other reason for the room. With Kaiba Corporation's emphasis on new technology, the first explanation seemed unlikely, so Yami was left wondering what the room's purpose really was.

He didn't dwell on the topic for very long though, as he was soon lead to a study that he felt was more suited for the older Kaiba's tastes. The room was bathed in the light of two large windows which overlooked the back of the manor, openly displaying the large grassy expanse that comprised the yard. A wooden desk sat on the far end in front of the windows. The desk was sparse, mostly unused save a computer, a pencil holder, and two remote controls placed near to the keyboard. One very clearly went with the large TV on the wall, but another sleek, silver one had no obvious purpose. Behind the desk sat a comfortable looking leather chair, as well as a wooden chair that didn't match the rest of the decor, and Yami assumed had been brought in for him specifically.

Yami set his backpack with his math homework in it near the side of the desk and he was faced with the first dilemma of the afternoon. _Which chair to sit in?_ If things were normal between the two duelists he would certainly have taken the more cushy chair that was clearly Kaiba's just to spite the other duelist. But he didn't want to seem too forward and offend the duelist any more than he already had. If he could salvage a rivalry with Kaiba, that would be his top goal.

Tea's advice came back to him, and he decided to take the cushy chair anyway. Kaiba would not respect someone who backed down from a challenge, and he felt that differentially taking the by far inferior chair would be just that. The chair was as comfortable as it looked, though adjusted for a person much taller than he was. He was almost through readjusting the chair when Kaiba himself walked in the room and scowled.

"Yes, please make yourself at home Yami." Kaiba quipped, his voice laden with sarcasm. He would have to talk to his butler about having let the other duelist into the room before he had arrived. The ergonomics of the chair were sure to be ruined now. At least his rival seemed to be completely in control of the adjustment functions; as funny as it would be, he did not want to deal with the consequences if the chair had violently shifted downwards or backwards. He very much liked his chair and did not savor the thought of having to get a replacement.

"Thank you,' Yami replied, ignoring Kaiba's obvious sarcasm. The remark had somewhat calmed the teen's nerves, and he could almost go back to bantering with Kaiba as normal. He opened his backpack and pulled out his math textbook and notebook and opened them on the desk in a move meant to dictate the pace of the study session.

Kaiba strode forward and sat on the corner of the desk, shutting the book forcefully. His hand rested on the cover to prevent it from being opened again. "Out," he said, pointing to the chair.

Yami crossed his arms defiantly. "No."

"Did you want to learn math or not?" Kaiba returned, his patience ebbing fast.

"Yes, so hurry up." Yami tugged on the cover of the book experimentally, testing to see how firmly it was being held closed. Kaiba rested most of his weight on the book in response, leaning in closer to the other boy.

"And here I was going to give you a chance." Kaiba leaned away and put his weight back on his foot, as if to leave the room.

_A chance at what?_ Yami wondered, his breath hitching at the closeness. _He couldn't possibly_…

"Backing out already?" Yami covered smoothly, interrupting his own train of thought.

"No," Kaiba replied quickly.. "It's not my fault if you don't want to listen to me after all." But he leaned his weight back onto the desk and pulled his hand off the cover of the book. "So what do you need help with?"

As pridefully as he could, Yami opened the book and pointed to the latest chapter.

Kaiba glanced at it disinterestedly. "That all?" Piercing blue eyes glanced pointedly at orchid ones, the meaning behind the question clear.

_Why does he have to bring this up?_ Yami thought while defiantly meeting the other's gaze. "Drop it Kaiba."

"And what if I don't want to? What if I want to know how serious you are?"

"What for? You aren't gay, that's what you said," the words came out bitter. "I'd appreciate it if you would stick to the subject at hand." The sharp rebuttal was as close as Yami could get to admitting that the teasing hurt without damaging his pride.

Kaiba completely ignored the last sentence. "I may not be gay, but I'm not straight either. I thought about it and I'm giving you one shot. So don't screw it up."

Yami's eyes widened in surprise. _Did he just…?_ The tight feeling in his stomach had all but gone away, but his heart was still racing. His mouth hung open for a second too long before he accepted the challenge. "Alright." Pointing to the book again he declared, "But I still expect your help with this."


	12. Homecoming

Yami walked home from the mansion in a daze. The rest of the study session had gone by relatively smoothly, and Yami felt he had a much better understanding of the subject matter now. He was grateful that Kaiba was patient enough to go back over things, especially since his daydreaming threatened to ruin his attention span completely. Still, they managed to get through it, though Yami felt quite embarrassed by the end.

Kaiba had left planning the date up to him. It was up to him to impress the CEO and give him a reason to stay. And Kaiba had, as always, dictated the day and time. His eyebrows creased as he fretted over what he would do.

What would the duelist like? He certainly liked his Blue Eyes. And Kaibaland. And dueling. And Kaiba Corp. And Mokuba. And was insanely handsome and challenging and protective and charismatic and guarded and complex. Yami smiled as he thought of Kaiba's characteristics, wondering if he could ever get to the point where Kaiba would be just as protective of him, that he could learn other sides of Kaiba that he didn't show others, that he could be someone special. Now that it was a possibility, his daydreams were even more vivid.

Arriving back at the game shop, Yami opened the door and absently passed through the threshold, still deep in thought. He barely noticed Yugi at the counter, as he went upstairs to their living quarters and entered his room. Laying on the fold-out couch that served as his bed, he continued to daydream.

_Sand stuck roughly to the soles of his feet as he ran down the shoreline, slightly ahead of the taller duelist behind him. Dressed in just black swim trunks, Yami was playing keep-away, holding the white trenchcoat out in front of him as he sped away. Kaiba was fully dressed, sans overcoat, his black turtleneck, long black pants, and high boots looking out of place amongst the other guests on the beach. As the other's longer legs threatened to give him the advantage, Yami turned right, straight into the ocean, holding the coat above his head._

_The taller stopped angrily, glaring at the trenchcoat as though it would make it come back to shore without requiring him to get wet. Yami laughed and taunted, "I told you if you wanted it to come and get it. Does this mean you no longer want it?"_

_A scowling Kaiba slowly began to remove his clothing to get in the water, and Yami whistled appreciatively. Yami glanced away for a second to find himself being tackled by a very naked Kaiba._

_"Oh you want that, do you?" he questioned suggestively, leaning backwards to force Kaiba to lean over him to get the coat back. The beach was empty now, and Yami was ready to take advantage of the fact. The two ended up splayed in the ocean, Kaiba grabbing the wet coat behind Yami, trapping him against the sandy bottom of the shallows. A wave came and soaked the two, drenching Kaiba's hair._

_"You will pay for this Moto," he threatens before leaning forward…_

A knocking on the door interrupted Yami and he realized that over the course of the daydream he had leaned back in bed and begun to masturbate. Embarrassed, he hurriedly stuffed himself back into his pants before calling for whomever was on the other side of the door to enter.

* * *

When Yami came home, Yugi had been expecting him to be upset, perhaps stressed, over his meeting with Kaiba. He wasn't expecting absent worry and distraction accompanied by a small smile. He didn't necessarily expect Yami to want to decompress with him or anything, he knew that their relationship had grown strained as of late, but he did expect to at least be seen by the other. It hurt, but he was also concerned. That was why, as soon as his grandpa came to relieve him of his shift at the store, he went upstairs to find out if Yami was ok.

From Yami's flushed face and obvious unfinished protrusion, it was immediately clear to Yugi what he had interrupted. Embarrassed he turned to excuse himself, berating himself for not realizing the more than likely possibility that Yami would need to relieve himself after spending time with his crush.

Before he could leave, Yami grabbed his wrist to stop him, however. "What do you want?" the former spirit asked.

Looking at the ground, Yugi mumbled, "It's not important, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Yami sighed, released Yugi, sat down, then patted the bed next to him. "You're fine. It's not a necessity."

Turning a shade of pink, Yugi sat next to his crush on the bed, wishing not for the first time that he could help with Yami's urges. Before Yugi's mind could go too far down that path, Yami had crossed his legs and looked at Yugi expectantly.

"I guess I just was wondering how your study session went," Yugi questioned, meeting Yami's eyes to avoid his gaze drifting lower. "You seemed kind of out of it when you came home."

Yami took a minute to respond. His eyes drifted back and forth as though he was weighing his options, before finally answering, "It went quite well. I understand math quite a bit better now. And, he's giving me a chance."

Yugi nodded along, he expected nothing less than complete understanding of the material from the pair, given their competitive tendencies. It was only when Yami got to the last sentence that Yugi's eyes widened.

"But I thought he said he wasn't gay?" Yugi felt his stomach clench and his chest tighten.

"He said he wasn't straight either? I didn't press the issue."

Yugi's throat felt dry. Hesitating until he felt his voice would sound normally he softly replied,"Ah."

A moment later, before Yami could say anything, Yugi mused aloud, "So you and Kaiba, huh?" He forced a smile. "I'm glad you will be happy."

Yami nervously shook his head. "I don't know that I'm happy yet, aibou. I still have to manage to impress him. I have to find something that will keep him in just one date."

Yugi shook his head in disbelief. Everything was an ultimatum with Kaiba. If he couldn't just appreciate Yami, why even bother going out with him? Yami deserved so much more than that. He just wished Yami himself could see it.

Instead of voicing his thoughts however, Yugi reassured, "I'm sure you'll do fine Yami. I can think of a dozen reasons why he'd be a fool not to like you."

Smiling at Yugi's reassurance, he ruffled the younger's hair. "Thank you aibou. I suppose I really should be thinking of what to do for our date, instead of daydreaming, huh?"

Yugi nodded absently. His heart was sinking more and more rapidly as the conversation went on. He knew he should be happy for Yami, but he couldn't help feeling jealous.

"I guess so," Yugi responded, pushing the feeling aside. His smile stayed on his face, but didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry aibou, I know this must be tough for you," Yami consoled. "We can talk about something else if you want."

Yugi shook his head. "I don't really have anything to say, I was just concerned about you. It seems you are doing fine though." A small smile graced his lips, this time reaching his eyes. "I should probably go and let you think about what you are going to do."

Yami nodded. "Are you sure you will be ok?"

Yugi nodded slowly, "It's just becoming more real, that's all. I guess I still had hope before."

Yami leaned over and gave Yugi's hand a squeeze before looking the other directly in the eyes. "I'm truly sorry that this is hurting you aibou."

"It'll get better eventually," Yugi reassured. "Or at least that's what Tea says."

Yami smiled, "I'm glad to hear it."

"Have a good date. Good luck planning it," Yugi said sincerely before standing. "I'm going to see if Grandpa needs help with anything."

Yami nodded. "Thank you for checking on me Yugi."

Yugi smiled in response. "Of course." He opened the door and stepped out of the room. "Um, open or shut?"

"You can shut it."

Shutting the door behind him, he headed back downstairs to the game shop, hoping to distract himself from his unwanted feelings.


	13. Date

**A/N: A shout out and thank you to my friend pipes who helped me with ideas for this chapter and encouraged me through it!**

Kaiba sat typing on his computer, deep in thought. A sudden rap on his door broke his concentration and he growled angrily. "Who is it?" he demanded forcefully.

The door opened and a mess of black hair peaked out from behind it. "Big brother," Mokuba complained, "Whatever you are doing isn't so important you can't be interrupted."

Kaiba's gaze softened, though he disagreed with his brother about the appropriate reaction to the knock. "What is it, Mokuba?"

"Yami is here," he said excitedly. "Should I let him in?"

Kaiba groaned and looked at his computer. Sure enough, it was time for his date with Yami.

"Let him in," he sighed, closing out of his work. He had been avoiding thinking about the date, mostly due to his own conflicting feelings, and the resulting push into his own work had left him forgetting about the time in and of itself.

He didn't have much time to dwell on the fact, however, because a beanie-wearing rival, sans make-up, was standing in front of his desk. He was not wearing his traditional leather pants or twin dueling belts, instead opting for tight-fitting navy jeans. Still, he wore his sleeveless black muscle shirt. Kaiba was about to ask how his rival had gotten all but a few blond strands to stay in the hat when a similar beanie was tossed onto his desk, along with a pair of reading glasses and a selection of black clothes. He noticed all were in his size, and wondered vaguely how his rival had gotten the information before catching a glimpse of his gleaming brother in the doorway.

He glared at the pile in front of him. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked

"Our date," Yami explained with a smirk. "You left the planning up to me … remember?"

Kaiba nodded. "I don't remember giving you permission to play dress-up, however."

Yami's smile widened, "And if I am taking you somewhere that losing your identity is necessary?" he challenged.

Kaiba glared at him. "Like where?"

"Like a club. I don't want you getting mobbed by fangirls while we're out."

"And what makes you think that a _club _will impress me?" Kaiba demanded, growing more irritated. He was regretting agreeing to this more and more.

"As if you even _know _what will impress you," Yami challenged.

Kaiba glared but did not reply.

"You better at least give me a shot Kaiba, or so help me God…"

Kaiba's glare intensified. "Or what?"

"You seriously are going to yank me around like this?" Yami demanded angrily. "You said you would give me a chance, were you telling the truth or not?"

At that Kaiba grit his teeth and grabbed the pile angrily. "Fine," he childishly snapped. "Let me change." He rose from the desk and left Yami and Mokuba standing in the office.

For the first time since he concocted the plan, Yami worried it might not have been a good one. If Kaiba refused to play along, he might not have fun, and worse might resent the treatment. His stomach dropped in worry.

He must have had a look on his face, because Mokuba smiled at him reassuringly, "He'll do it."

Yami looked at the kid, "But will he try, or will he just be bitter the whole time?"

Mokuba just shrugged. He wanted to say his brother would do the right thing, but he knew how stubborn he could be when it came to the concept of friendship.

Yami sighed, wondering again if this was a mistake, when Kaiba came back, glasses and hat on, a black skull T-shirt with cloth wrist cuffs adorning his torso. He was scowling, but it almost seemed to complete the look rather than detract from it.

"Alright," he said, sounding much less bitter despite his scowl. "If we're going to do this, let's go."

Yami lead the way out of the office to a waiting car outside. It was a late 90s model, old, nothing new or fancy like Kaiba usually drove. Still, a driver was waiting.

"I had Mokuba organize a driver and car for us," Yami explained. "I can't drive and didn't think it would be appropriate for you to drive on _my _date."

Kaiba grumbled an annoyed response, but climbed into the backset anyway. Yami joined him, glancing at him accusingly.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "You are still using my driver," he complained. "I don't see what the difference is."

Yami tsked. "Technically," he clarified, "This one is Mokuba's driver." And sure enough, it was. It didn't mean Kaiba wasn't the one _paying _for the driver though, and the other argued as such.

"Just let him drive us," Yami sighed, exasperated. Never mind that the car was already moving toward the club.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Kaiba retorted.

Yami rolled his eyes. He needed to find a way to stop antagonizing Kaiba. This wouldn't work as long as they were getting involved in petty fights. So he stopped arguing back, letting the topic drop.

The car fell into silence, which Yami didn't think was much better, but Kaiba seemed relaxed, so Yami didn't mind. Finally the car reached the club, and Yami's choice of clothing became clear. The pair fit right in. The crowd around the club was similarly dressed in mainly black and gray. Yami looked to Kaiba, who was sitting straight up and eaming the crowd cautiously. Could it be his rival was nervous?

Yami cracked a smile and nudged the other. "You ready?" he asked.

Kaiba shot a piercing look at Yami, but nodded. They got out of the car and he driver left to park. Before Kaiba had much time to react, Yami had grabbed his arm and was dragging him through the crowd.

At first Kaiba resisted the tug, but then slowly relaxed and followed Yami's lead. They made their way through the crowd, eventually stopping in front of a burly looking bouncer who asked for their IDs. Yamily smoothly produced two, both of which were fake. Yami's just stated that he was over 18, while Kaiba's went so far as to give him a fake name. He smiled at the other reassuringly.

Kaiba, to his credit, didn't act surprised, though he did give the other a dirty look on the way in. He was going to question the act, but the volume of the music that hit them upon entering the club drowned out any words. Yami pulled the other closer with a knowing smile, leaning right up to his ear to shout, "Don't worry about it."

Sullenly, Kaiba allowed himself to be pulled along into the crowd, not wanting to get so close to Yami to retort. Unfortunately, the deeper into the crowd they got, the closer his body had to be to his rival's, or else he would get lost in the sea of bodies. Eventually they were in the middle of the crowd, dark lighting illuminating next to nothing. The pungent smell of sweat filled the air around them as people bumped around, dancing to a steady rhythm. Yami wrapped his arms around his rival's neck and leaned up on his tiptoes.

Even with the close proximity, Kaiba barely heard Yami when he told him to go with the flow. Still, he listened to his voice. He almost instinctively wrapped his arms around Yamis waist and began to sway with the beat. The tension in his shoulders began to melt as he moved in time, his body pressed tight against his rival's.

He didn't _have _to think about anything, his mind emptied and he just **did. **A smile began to cross his face and he looked down to examine his rival's expression. He wasn't prepared for the wide, encouraging grin that met him, especially since it appeared that his rival's reaction was based on his own. Had Yami been studying him the whole time?

The crowd jostled the pair; as it thickened, their legs became less and less effective, as though it was the pressure from those around them actually keeping the pair upright. Their bodies rubbed together in the beat, which pulsated throughout the crowd … whether due to the dancing or volume it was difficult to tell. The smell of stale beer began to permeate the club the longer the dance went on. Movements around them grew increasingly erratic, though the support system of bodies remained in place.

For a moment all that existed was the friction between their bodies and the gaze between the two duelists. Despite not having said a word, he felt a connection with his rival that he was uncertain he had felt before. He had started leaning down to rest his forehead on his rival's when a weird expression crossed the other's face. He was glancing to the side, and so Kaiba turned his head to look too.

Next to the pair, a very obviously drunk couple were choosing to get frisky in the midst of the crowd. It would be one thing if the woman was simply reaching down the man's pants, but she had undone them completely and was completing the task for the whole world to see. He turned away in disgust, though his body unfortunately reacted to the sight.

He leaned into his rival this time, shouting above the music to be heard. "Do we have to stand right here?" He hoped his arousal would not be noticed by the other.

Fortunately, Yami just shook his head and began leading the pair to another spot in the crowd, but Kaiba tugged towards the edge of the crowd. Yami seemed to understand the gesture, as he followed Kaiba's lead and then eventually lead the pair to a booth.

As soon as they got there Yami began to apologize. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that sort of thing would happen." He had noticed the way that the music, crowd and and anonymity had allowed Kaiba to loosen up and lose himself a bit, and was disappointed that Kaiba seemed to be regaining his composure now that they were away from it all.

Kaiba shook his head and looked a bit sullen, though he didn't entirely blame Yami for the incident. "It was certainly different from what I expected," he said, trying to force himself to be fair.

Yami nodded. "You seemed to be having a good time before that," he observed.

Kaiba had to think about that statement. "Mostly," he finally agreed. He wasn't going to admit to more than that. "But you have yet to impress me." The choice of location was surprisingly astute, but he still felt as though his rival had yet to do anything specific to indicate that _he _was the right choice.

Yami's face fell, but quickly hid behind a neutral mask. "Well," he started, faking cheerfulness, "Good thing the date is not over yet." He had to think of something else to do fast.

Kaiba nodded carefully studying his rival. He could read him well, and could tell that the other was hiding something. What he couldn't determine was _why_.

"What made you think a club would be a good idea?" he inquired, trying to change the subject. Rather than a challenge this time, the question was actually curious.

Yami thought about the question. "I thought that it would be a place where you could be yourself." he answered. "We could go unnoticed and you wouldn't feel the pressure of being Seto Kaiba. And if you didn't want to, we wouldn't have to talk."

Kaiba considered the answer. There was a surprising amount of thought put into the location, and his rival had been _right. _He had half expected to be brought someplace where they could play games, since that was a common interest, but this was a more creative option. Still he had to ask.

"Why not an arcade, or someplace where we would play games?"

Yami smirked at that one. "You'd just get angry at me beating you all the time."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "How about we get out of this club and you back up that threat?"

Yami considered the challenge then smiled. "Sure." He recognized that the crowd was a bit too drunk to be comfortable for Kaiba, so staying wouldn't accomplish anything. "But the arcade is closed right now."

Kaiba shrugged. "I have a large game room. We can always just go back to my place."

Yami tried to hide his surprised reaction with a chuckle. "Seto Kaiba has invited be back to his house," he smirked. "The date must be going well."

Rather than his usual scowl, Kaiba smiled back. "Perhaps," he allowed, offering Yami his arm. Yami took it, and the pair left the club together, ready for the night to continue.


	14. Games

It wasn't long before they reached Kaiba's mansion and Yami was being lead to the large game room. Kaiba no longer seemed willing to hold contact with Yami now that they had left the club. While Yami wished this wasn't the case, he was more than willing to give Kaiba his space, recognizing that the other needed it.

The path to the room was familiar; only towards the end did they deviate from the route that Yami remembered taking when he dueled Kaiba just weeks ago. Inside, the room contained nearly every board game imaginable, as well as several gaming systems. Off to one side, almost as though it were on display, was an ornate chess board, the pieces finely polished and carved out of marbled wood, giving it a lavish feel. Conspicuously absent, however, were any hint of duel monsters cards.

Kaiba shrugged and gestured to the room. "What do you want to play?"

Atem immediately went to the shelf that contained the board games, and was browsing through them when one of the console systems caught his eye. The controllers looked like steering wheels, almost like an arcade game. He was not familiar with the system, Yugi didn't have one, but he was good at driving games at the arcade and figured this couldn't be much different.

"Coming here was a replacement for the arcade, right?" he asked, a smirk gracing his face. "So why don't we go with whatever that is?" he pointed to the controllers.

Kaiba smirked right back. "Mario Kart it is," he replied, finalizing the plans.

Yami found that Kaiba was consistent in his choice of character and car, preferring the brute strength of Bowser and a heavy offroading car. His play style depended on a combination of his own proficient steering skills and his ability to knock the smaller characters off the map. Yami fell victim to this several times before attempting a much smaller bike.

"You really expect to win with that lightweight?" Kaiba jabbed.

"Wait and see," Yami defended, hoping his choice was the right one.

Much to Kaiba's ire, once Yami had the hang of the smaller bikes, the races were brutal and came down to the seconds. Yami eventually settled on Baby Peach, who seemed to have the best bonuses for speed and maneuverability, giving him the best chance to avoid Kaiba's attacks.

The longer they played, the more consistently Yami won, and the more frustrated Kaiba became. He refused to stop playing, demanding additional time, even though it was well past two in the morning. The pair grew tired, their eyes half closed, but still Kaiba refused to stop challenging Yami, and Yami refused to back down. Eventually Kaiba's experience with late nights gave him some leverage, and he won a game after a streak of nearly forty losses.

Kaiba's wide-eyed look, a stark contrast to the half-lidded fatigue that plagued him earlier, swiftly turned to one of triumph.

"Hah! I told you that strategy wouldn't hold out."

Yami just scoffed. "One win and you think you have proved me wrong. How many times did I win using this approach?"

"I bet I win again," Kaiba snapped, clearly not liking that Yami was right.

"You're on," Yami replied, blinking bloodshot eyes.

Kaiba did win again, still holding the advantage of having pushed himself past his limits before. He won the next game as well, before Yami finally gave into his exhaustion and fell asleep during the fourth race, steering wheel still in his hands.

Kaiba's first response was a triumphant huff of air, causing his bangs to fly upwards. His second was to wonder what to do with his rival. The other wasn't in condition to go home on his own, and Kaiba didn't want to be the one to deliver him back to the game shop. Kaiba's proud look left his face, and he sighed.

Gently he pried the controller out of Yami's hands and picked him up, carrying to a nearby entertainment room containing a couch. The guest bedrooms were too far away, he reasoned, and it was still more comfortable than the floor. He pulled an afghan off the back of the couch and covered Yami in it, deciding that would be good enough.

He exited the room, and navigated the hallways to his own, stripping to shower before sleeping himself. Reflecting on the date as he lathered up, he was surprised to find that he enjoyed himself overall. Still, was that enough to prove that dating Yami wasn't a waste of his time?

No, he decided. Dating Yami was necessary for nothing. And though he was taken aback by how enjoyable the evening had been, he decided it wasn't enough to impress him. He would get Yami home when he woke in the morning, and they would go back to be rivals, as though the date had never happened.

That settled and his body clean, he toweled off, got his pajamas on, and curled up to sleep.

* * *

Yami woke up late the next morning, confused. Why was he in an unfamiliar room filled with the largest stereo system he had ever encountered? He racked his brain to remember what happened last night, but his memory stopped after losing at Mario Kart.

That was still enough to put two and two together; somehow in his fatigue he ended up on a couch for the night. The fact that it was a couch stung a little. He had expected to at least end up in a guest bedroom, assuming correctly that Kaiba had many. Still, he had been allowed to stay, rather than shoved back to the game shop, for which he was grateful.

Pushing aside the afghan, he sat up and rubbed his sore neck. His stomach growled and he wondered if it would be imposing to look for breakfast. Figuring there was only one way to find out, he stood and opened the door, trying to remember how he got to this section of the house. He thought he remembered passing a kitchenette on the way, and it seemed his best bet.

Taking a left out of the room, he began to wander the house, trusting himself to find the way.

A half an hour later, he found himself in front of a large window overlooking an indoor swimming pool. He was nowhere near the kitchenette that he thought he had seen. Frustrated, he entered what might have been a locker room, to find out that description was only partially right. There were no lockers, simply a pair of cubbies and a massive shower before the pool entrance.

He sat on a bench in the shower, sorting out what he ought to do next. He reasoned that somebody would have to enter the room eventually, so he decided to stick with conventional wisdom and stay put. Now the only trick would be determining how to pass the time as he waited...


	15. Lost

_"Let me reward you for beating me so thouroughly," came the sultry voice that sounded just inches from his ear. Kaiba looked over and saw his rival leaning back in a seductive pose, beckoning with one finger. He approached, leaning in to the other and a long and sensual kiss began. Somehow air was unnecessary, so the kiss lasted for quite some time. Finally they broke from it, Yami pushing him onto his back and straddling him, kissing him more from this angle, running teasing fingers down Kaiba's torso. They broke again and Kaiba's shirt came off before another kiss interrupted him from doing the same with Yami's. Each time the pair stopped the kissing, everything intensified, until finally his rival was riding him and moaning deliciously._

Kaiba woke, feeling satisfied in a way he hadn't in quite some time. He looked to the other side of his bed, half expecting to find his rival resting peacefully there. Seeing noone, he realized it was just a dream. He pushed the covers away from himself to find a mess. Sighing, he got up to shower despite the fact he had just done so the night before.

While in the shower he reflected on his dream and decided that were this to happen again, there might be some benefit in dating Yami after all. But it could also simply be caused by the other's presence in his life, so he wanted some space before deciding his next course of action. Kaiba determined he'd use the next several Yami-free days to make up his mind.

That settled, he rounded the corner to the entertainment room to check on Yami to see if he needed anything before he left the house, only to find the couch empty. Shrugging, he assumed the other had woken before him and left. He turned on his heel and left the room, heading for the kitchenette, happy that the other had saved him some trouble.

Breakfast was a plain cake doughnut and jelly, something Mokuba had gotten him into. He ate quietly, standing at the counter, brushing his hands off when he was done. He was just about to leave the kitchenette when a rustling behind him caused him to turn around. Standing there was Mokuba, who was grabbing cereal with a knowing grin. "How was your date last night Seto?" he asked with a smirk.

Seto scowled. "Fine," he answered sounding annoyed.

"It doesn't sound fine," Mokuba countered. "What happened?"

Seto rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to talk about this. "It was fun, but I hardly see the point," he admitted, hoping that would be enough to get Mokuba off his back. But Mokuba had other ideas.

"That is the point," he sighed. "Seto, you said you would give him a chance..." he sounded disapproving.

Seto sighed dejectedly. "So what do you want me to do? I haven't talked to him yet, and he's already left."

"Just give him another chance," Mokuba suggested with yet another sigh. "If you had fun, he's good for you Seto." And with that he left the room, carrying his bowl of cereal and glass of milk with him.

Dejectedly, Seto decided he needed to think it through again, this time considering his brother's words. Thinking through matters like this was best done in the water, and since he had already showered twice, the pool would have to do. He headed back to his room to change into his swim trunks.

* * *

It had been over an hour since Yami sat down in the shower stall, and there seemed to be very little he could do about it. While there was at least a bench, he was growing restless of waiting for someone, and was beginning to count his options on how to pass his time. He needed to do something at the rate his stomach was growling, if only to take his mind off the hunger.

As his thoughts strayed to Kaiba yet again, and he made up his mind. If he was going to wait to be found, he might as well use the amenities. Perhaps this would help to cease his circling thoughts. Stripping, he put his clothes in one of the cubbies before showering and exiting to the pool level, seeming to be completely unphased by the fact he was about to swim naked.

He started with laps, doing the front crawl, then the back crawl, then the resting breast stroke, then the racing breast stroke. The water was temperate, and he was enjoying the feel on his skin. The sensations kept him grounded for a while, until his muscles began to tighten and he no longer wanted to focus on his body. He turned once again to his thoughts, floating on his back peacefully.

Why couldn't someone have come already? What if it took days for someone to clean this part of the house? What if he never got found? Perhaps it was better to just move...

The sound of footsteps broke him out of his thoughts. He almost didn't pay attention at first, thinking it was just his imagination, until they got closer to him, and he looked up, expecting to see a pool maintenance professional or another staff person. Instead it was a rather angry looking Kaiba, stalking towards the side of the pool in his swim trunks.

"Who gave you permission not only to be here still, but to swim naked in my pool?" he demanded angrily.

Yami mentally sighed and let his feet float to the bottom of the pool, standing on tiptoes to keep his head above water. Was there any less dignified way to be facing his rival the day after a date?

"I was looking for a kitchen and somehow ended up here," he replied, sounding hopeful. "Perhaps you could show me the way to some food now that you are here?"

Seto just stared at him in shock. "It was a straight shot back to the door, how did you miss it?" he asked, astounded. "Never mind, get out of the pool and get dressed. There is a towel that I planned to use in the shower room." He let out a sigh and stalked back to the dressing room himself.

Yami did as he was told, feeling guilty but keeping up a proud appearance so that Seto didn't think anything less of him. Soon he was presentable again, and he turned to Seto, who had his back to him, not watching.

The back was well-muscled and smooth, free of blemishes. Lean muscle was apparant in the way his arms flexed, and Yami swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Kaiba was attractive, and not just because of Yami's crush. Anyone would find him so. He realized that the young CEO could probably have anybody he wanted, yet he somehow had given his rival a chance. He burned with pride. Whatever the outcome, he had gotten a date with Kaiba, something he didn't imagined happened very often.

Kaiba turned around and caught Yami's stare and cleared his throat. Unbidden rosey blood flooded to Yami's cheeks. Still he met Kaiba's eyes, which were impassive and giving nothing away. His posture, arms crossed, weight one tapping foot, betrayed his annoyance however.

Yami wanted to respond in some way, but was prevented from doing so by Kaiba abruptly turning and leading him out of the room, walking briskly, seeming not to care if Yami kept up. Yami hurried to follow him, decding food was more important than saving face this instant.


End file.
